


Dark Veins

by TCon, Tracker_Lucifer



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crime, Eventual Romance and Sex, M/M, Murder Mystery, No Major Character Death, Portrayal of Sociopathy, Psychological Drama, dark au, murdered victims are OCs, serial killer au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:07:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4100401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TCon/pseuds/TCon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tracker_Lucifer/pseuds/Tracker_Lucifer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em> If you take a knife - jam it into his chest, crack open the ribcage, shove aside the lungs, slice the trachea and siphon the thick, metallic blood — you might notice it was hollow there, where the heart supposed to be. Or it might have a different colour, how it should be vibrant red, fleshy and wet with blood — instead you might find a strange tumour-like lump of meat, black in colour, dripping with grease. It moved, shuddered and beat in regular rhythm like a real organ, but you’d know there was something wrong with it. Diseased.</em> </p><p>  <em>Because since the beginning, there was something wrong with him. </em></p><p>Kise is a serial killer with a type, who leaves abhorrent ’trophies’ as gifts on Kasamatsu’s doorsteps due to a deep-seated infatuation. Nobody knows of his true identity. The cops soon learn that Kasamatsu is special to the unknown serial killer, and ask him to cooperate in order to catch him. How would he lure out the Killer?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wicked Gaze

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tracker_Lucifer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tracker_Lucifer/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's a bad habit: when a plot of a story grabbed me in the head, it is physically and mentally difficult for me to get it off. It would stay in my mind for weeks, even months. So, there it is: a psychological crime story. I've been wondering if I can get myself to write something of this genre, since I'm a huge fan of the crime genre.
> 
> And yes, Kise is a sociopath in this particular story (or diagnosed as Antisocial Personality Disorder). I did my research on the subject to make sure I'm getting the portrayal right, but I can make mistakes, and also, fictional license will be applied here. Because this is fanfic and stuff happens that's not real. It's gonna be quite the challenge, writing a sort-of love story about a person who's incapable of remorse, compassion and most importantly, incapable of love. Or at least, incapable of love the way most people do. Also, plot. Lots and lots of murder plot(s). Which means, more research! What fun.
> 
> Gifted this to my friend and co-writer, as she's the reason this fic exists in the first place and she has been my faithful plotting buddy. Your manipulation works, my dear. You devil, you.

—

**Dark Veins**

—

Chapter 1: Wicked Gaze

—

" _Sociopaths can love with a selfish intensity that puts other love to shame. Their love is a devouring, consuming sort of love. When I love someone, I feel like I want to inhale them — to literally suck out their soul. When I kiss someone, I try to do just that. Love may be blind for empaths, but a sociopath sees your faults clearly and loves you still. The sociopath's piercing eyes are not only unsettling because of their unwavering constancy, but because the sociopath's eyes can pierce through to your very soul, leaving you naked before his gaze._ "

\- M. E. Thomas, Author of " _Confession of a Sociopath"_

—

When Kise saw him, he could hear something sizzle from within his chest. With a snake-like hiss, low and hushed, it snapped at him with a bite, concocting minute droplets of poison, dripping over him — burned the skin, peeling it off alive with tiny touches of death.

Exhilarating.  _Bizarre_.

If you take a knife, jam it into his chest, crack open the ribcage, shove aside the lungs, slice the trachea and siphon the thick, metallic blood — you might notice it was a hollow there, where the heart supposed to be. Or it might have a different colour, how it should be vibrant red, fleshy and wet with blood — instead you might find a strange tumour-like lump of meat, black in colour, dripping with grease. It moved, shuddered and beat in regular rhythm like a real organ, but you'd know there was something wrong with it. Diseased.

Because since the beginning, there was something wrong with him.

Like at that very moment. Every time his gaze found Kasamatsu's form, Kise's mind immediately stood still, recording the image and dissecting it piece by piece. The dark hair — how the light fell onto the strands, tainting them in a shade several times lighter — almost to the colour of hazelnut.

Kise found himself wondering how it would feel to crack his skull open. His fingers would reach into the hole of the cranium, feel the wet ridges and curled bumps along the pale organ, under the pads of his digits. Scrambled it, shook it and took it out, then put it in a jar of formaldehyde. He'd watch the organ floated about, whitish, sinking onto the bottom. Then maybe, maybe he would know how exactly Kasamatsu thought of him.

How easy would it be to do the former, and how difficult, to do the latter. He was no mind reader, with the complex maze of the human mind.

Even after two years living in the States, California, he saw no significant changes in Kasamatsu. Two years older from the day he graduated from highschool. The same old, same old, they used to say. Same height, same hairstyle and the same pair of thick, bushy eyebrows that were constantly furrowed.

He was always looking grumpy, as if he was permanently pissed off; creases decorated the upper part of his nose, in the middle of the bushy eyebrows, as if he'd smelled a stench.

When in fact, he was just thinking of something, deeply — which he did, maybe around 80% - 90% of the time. People thought Kasamatsu was unfriendly, hard to approach, but it wasn't the case. He was Japanese, a race known for their lack of facial expressiveness, straightforward discipline and stiff moral conduct. And Kasamatsu Yukio, he was perhaps the most morally Japanese among all of the Japanese students in this university, lumped together. They mistook it for being unsociable.

And he? Kise was half Caucasian, of Japanese nationality. He had blonde hair, fair skin and eyes like amber. He'd been told they were a very rare colour, like warm honey, or gold when they were hit by light. His face was shaped oval, slim with a strong jaw, a straight nose and a long neck. He was 6'3" with a physique as fit as an athlete's, sculpted from the workout he did for the modelling, a part-time job of his. A perfect mix of caucasian and asian; they used to praise him all the time, since childhood.

None of it seemed to work, though.

The most morally Japanese among all the Japanese students in this university, never really paid attention to him, even after so many years. Three, to be exact. Three years of observations, of rejected advances and failed approaches. Kise never minded it too much. He was patient. The distance was neither too far or too close. It kept things balanced. It kept  _him_  balanced. He was fine with watching from afar.

For now, anyway.

"What are you looking at?"

A head of long dark hair and a beautiful face appeared in his line of sight. A latina, her complexion the colour of cappuccino, with a few freckles that scattered from under her left eye all the way across the bridge of her nose until the under side of her right eye. They fell surprisingly favourable to her looks.

"The criminology students." He told a white lie.

Kasamatsu was indeed surrounded by his classmates, a mixture of nerds and crime geeks, sitting under the shade of a tree in the middle of the park. Some of which were wearing mousy sweaters and vests in dull monotones, shirts buttoned up all the way to the top and the collar fastened along the thick of their necks. Only two of them, including Kasamatsu, whose appearances were outside of the stereotype. Books as thick as encyclopaedia were placed on their laps. They looked like they were having an intense conference — or a discussion. No question was needed for what they were discussing.

"Oh god, they're  _so_  depressing." She chided, curling her overdrawn pair of eyebrows. "What a bunch of nerds. Why are you staring at them? Let's do something fun, Ryou! Me and Kim are like, going to a beach party tonight with the girls! Come with us!"

"Not tonight." Kise refused. His eyes caught the way the corners of Kasamatsu's lips twitched upwards, forming a full blown smile. A rare occurrence. He must've found a good idea for his essay. Kise remembered the topic this time was Criminal Profilers, if he wasn't wrong. Last semester, Kasamatsu did a thorough research on Ted Bundy and a number of famous serial murderers. An eager learner.

Sarah — that was her name — looked as if what he said offended her, showing her displeasure of his lack of attention with a scrunched face and exaggerated arm gestures.

"Huh!? What!? Why!? Do you have a girlfriend or something!?" He turned to look at her, for once. Her screeching voice hurt his ears. It was obvious that the misunderstanding angered her, jealousy was displayed on her sufficiently attractive face, arms crossed over her ample breasts that were barely covered by a tiny tube-shaped dress, that hugged her frame tightly, size 2. Her face was red, rendering her foundation useless. Women were so easy to offend, he thought. Make them think they had a competition and they'd puff out until the hairs in their body stood on its ends, emitting territorial possessiveness.

At that, he had to mock an apologetic smile. "I have no girlfriend, obviously." He laughed. "I just got something to do, is all. Something special."

"That sounds like you got a girl." She scowled. "Who is she!? Do I know her?"

Kise rolled his eyes. "It's not even a girl."

She paused. "Are you gay?"

Now that earned an actual genuine laugh. "I like girls. Sometimes I like guys."

"You're bi?" Sarah cocked an eyebrow up, she seemed less angry now, oddly. "What, it's like a trend or something? Everyone's saying they're bisexual."

"Isn't that great? I get to enjoy the best of both worlds." He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head and smiling at her. "Come on, you know I don't do commitments, babe. I just gotta do something for extra credit tonight. How about tomorrow we'll go shopping with Kim?" He offered, winking.

"Horndog." She blurted, but returned his smile. She swiped her salon-weaved locks elegantly, settling the index of her perfectly manicured fingers to her cheek. "Alright, it's a date. You promise you'll take us for shopping tomorrow, Ryouta?"

"Of course, babe. I'll get my Benz ready after class."

Barely two months passed since he'd come to this university, and already he was the designated chauffeur of two  _lovely_  ladies, Kise sarcastically thought. The women here were different, outspoken and loud with a face peppered in powder makeup, lips plumped, glazed shiny in rouge, smelling of perfume that he could detect from ten metres away.

He didn't dislike them, but he didn't like them either. Beautiful young college ladies dressed in tight, revealing dresses, possessing empty heads and quick tempers, who dated popular jocks and semi-celebrities, C-list or D-list. They were easy to read and steer away from whatever casual inclinations they were at, towards wherever life blew them. Fickle.

How increasingly tedious. If he used a drill to open the skulls of those women, he probably wouldn't discover much inside of it. It wouldn't have been a  _surprise_.

Sarah left him alone for a more interesting group of lookalikes — with their salon blown hair that went down to just above their hips, delicate hands decorated with manicured nails made of acrylic and heavy-looking beads, dressed in clothes that showed off their cleavage and long, smooth legs. They chit-chatted excitedly, pairs of eyes hooded beneath layers of artificial lashes glanced at him, none too discreetly.

Kise smiled, waved a hand at them and there, they burst into giggles, earning quite a few stares from the students around them. Kise inhaled, then took the time to pretend reading his textbook, meanwhile he resumed watching Kasamatsu, sitting with a circle of friends, just above the top of his book.

He had cognitive psychology class later in an hour, lunch was just over although he was still munching on his sandwich. He knew Kasamatsu had classes until six, he would go to the library during the one and a half hour of break in between, usually with a classmate or two.

After class, he'd go straight to the apartment he shared with two other people, just outside of the campus area, take a shower then go to the cafeteria for dinner. He'd refrain from going outside for the night, busy with essays and class assignments. On weekends, Kasamatsu would go on a morning jog or a hike with Kobori and Moriyama, then play basketball in the campus court with whoever was playing there.

Kise knew the habits, his class schedules, his hobby, favourite foods, even the type of men Kasamatsu preferred — serious, smart and an overall intelligent type. He recently broke up with his boyfriend last summer, or so he heard. Kise bit hard into his sandwich, tearing the sinewy bacon with the sharp of his teeth. The cut onions left a flavourful tang in his tongue.

Once in a while, he took a look at the time on his wristwatch, 12:23 P.M. Most of the Psych major classes would have been out by then, he thought, counting the minuscule minutes closely. It was a sunny Autumn day, the park was be crowded with students who'd occupy all the open spaces available. Just as he was finishing his sandwich, a ruckus drew his attention — and he lifted his jaw, lowering the book on his lap.

A group of tall guys in football team's jackets, sleeveless shirts and jeans were in the park, carrying a bunch of rugby gears to play with on the field. The were tall and muscular, the athletic types. The jocks. The college girls in the vicinity squealed while the rest remained indifferent, some cringed, scuttling away to open the path for them to walk on. They entered the scene with a conceited swagger, exaggerated postures and loud noises, as they were purposely showing off to the others they were the Alpha males.

There was plenty of space left for them to claim, but today they'd decided to target the spot Kasamatsu's group was occupying.

"Faggots, get out of here! The place's ours." Zachary, or Zack, the jock with the auburn blonde hair, not the tallest nor the biggest, but certainly the richest out of them and therefore had the most authority, barked at the Crime students. Funny, they never really acted so aggressively, usually. For some reasons, the guy seemed to target them exclusively today.

Curious, Kise chose to observe them, silently.

From the distance, however, it was hard to make out what they were talking about. He heard snide tone of voice, Kasamatsu slowly got up to argue with Zack, which somehow escalated into the latter, shoving him and yanking the front of his shirt. His mates held him back before he could land a hit, seemingly surprised what Zack was trying to do. So they didn't mean any real harm, but that guy in particular, seemed to have a beef with Kasamatsu.

Interesting.

The scene, it drew quite a bit of attention from the people around them. It didn't take long for even a feather-brained jock to realise he'd be in big trouble for getting into a fight in the middle of the campus. He shrugged off from his mates' hold, threw Kasamatsu a stink eye, then stomped off, shouting something about taking it to another place for the game. Kasamatsu was standing on the same spot, a tall guy was tending to him but he insisted he was fine. The others seemed restless, talking among themselves.

Kise put the books into the saddlebag, patting his thighs off the crumbs and standing up. He could still taste the onion in his tongue.

He put on a concerned face as he ran up to the group of crime students, acting as if he was bothered by the scene.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, his gaze went to the group of jocks and then at them. "That looked bad. What happened? I thought he'd almost hit you."

"I'm alright. The asshole." Kasamatsu frowned and spat to the ground. "Seriously Koji, I'm okay. Stop fussing over me." He brushed off the tall guy who'd been on him. Kobori Koji, Business student. One of Kasamatsu's childhood friends and roommates, the other was Moriyama Yoshitaka, from the fashion faculty, who seemed to be late today. He'd reckon Moriyama was flirting with some girls on campus.

"Yuki, he shoved you."

"I'm not a dainty flower, Koji." He told him off. He turned to Kise, visibly aware of him for the first time. "And thanks for the concern - " He paused, eyes fixated on him. His eyebrows knitted. "I'm sorry, have we met?" He asked, he had a look on his face that told Kise he'd completely forgotten about the blonde.

"Yes, well. I saw you at the Japanese Students' gathering party last week? I'm a freshman in psych major, Kise Ryouta." He surprised both Kobori and Kasamatsu when Kise started speaking in Japanese.

"Oh, the blonde guy! I thought you were someone's friend. Didn't think you were Japanese." Kobori kindly offered his hand. "Kobori Koji, Third Year, I major in Business."

He smiled and took his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kobori-Senpai. And Kasamatsu-Senpai, right?" He turned to Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu seemed to have snapped from a daze, and now he looked embarrassed to have been staring at Kise. "Y - Yeah. I'm Kasamatsu Yukio. Third Year in Criminology. Sorry, I thought you looked familiar." He took his hand and shook it.

"It's okay. We've probably met before." The blonde said with a friendly smile.

"Aah, it's been a while since someone new called us Senpai. It's refreshing, don't you think, Yuki?" Kobori grinned at the other senior.

Kasamatsu smiled back. "Yeah, it does. Uh, so Kise is it? Are you busy? We're about to have lunch. The mood for discussion went sour just now. Although, we're still waiting for Yoshi - our friend - to come, he's late." Kasamatsu scratched his neck.

"Oh sure, I haven't had lunch. I'll be happy to join you, Senpai. I mean, I'm so new in the campus, I barely knew anyone." The blonde lied smoothly, his tone casual. He'd been there for a few months already and his network had extended to some of the more popular crowds in the campus. He had them give him tours around the large vicinity. Since he had a feeling he'd need to use the knowledge later.

"Sorry guys, I'm not in the mood anymore. Can't have Zack coming back and ruining it again. See you in class." Kasamatsu proceeded to give an apologetic remark to the other guys in the group, picking up his bag and books. He put the thick ones into the back, slinging it over his shoulder.

"You know he's probably flirting with the girls in his class, which being in fashion campus, there are a lot." Kobori pointed.

"He's found his paradise." The shorter of the two shrugged. "We'll text him. Come on."

"Lead the way, Senpai."

Along the way to the cafe, they kindly explained to him the common places the students frequented; the library, the dormitory, the cafes, the different faculties, etc. Kise merely nodded along as he followed them, he already learned of the vicinity beforehand, he had it mapped in his head, made sure he went all over the place by himself to know the roads. Know your enemy, know your friends, and everything would go his way when needed. That was his belief.

"By the way, what was that all about? With that senior, I mean." After they settled on a table in the cafe, he'd asked Kasamatsu, while waiting for their coffee.

"Oh, that." Kasamatsu automatically rolled his eyes. "It's nothing really, once when we were second years, he'd asked me to do his papers. I refused. He held it against me, threatened to report that I plagiarised my papers. Ridiculous. He failed his class, and he thinks it's my fault." The barista called the names one by one, which weren't theirs. There were quite a few people waiting at the same time. They settled at the corner, while Kobori saved the table for them.

"That's pretty awful." Must not be the brightest tool in the shed to pick a fight in the middle of the campus, in broad daylight, Kise sarcastically thought. "Does he do that often? His friends don't look like they're too keen on backing him up."

"His friends are okay. We meet at the courtyard sometimes, I play basketball with the guys on weekends — played with them too, a few times. Zack's just a bit of a prick in comparison." He stepped up when his name was called, albeit with some mispronunciation. "It's 'You-Kee-Oh', thanks anyway." He uttered to the girl who handed him his coffee and Kobori's order. Kise took his with a smile and without criticising the wonky way the barista pronounced his name.

"I play basketball too. Keeps me fit." He told him as they made their way to their table. The food had arrived before they did.

"Oh? That's nice, you're pretty tall and built. Did you play during highschool or something?" Kasamatsu asked, settling the piping hot cups on the table first before sitting down.

"No. I only played sometimes, I was busy with other hobbies. I did modelling as a part time job, got pretty into it too. I go to gym regularly." He had other 'hobbies' to attend to, which was far more exciting than basketball. And it never hurt to have extra money in his pocket, to fund it. "Could you tell me where the courtyard is? I'd like to join you guys if you don't mind."

"Whoa, he's a model. I knew I'd seen him somewhere!" Kobori looked like he was trying to remember something. "Yeah, I think I saw your face in the billboards or magazines. Didn't we, Yuki?"

Kasamatsu furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "I think so? You know I never really pay attention to that kind of thing, Koji." He turned to Kise. "And sure, I'll show you around if you'd like. We play on Saturdays."

"That'll be great!" He smiled sweetly.

They had their a light lunch with sandwiches and coffee, until Moriyama barged into the cafe ten minutes later.

"Sorry I'm late, guys! I was with a girl. We were chatting for like, a half an hour or so. Before I knew it, I was late for our lunch!" He grinned apologetically, carrying a large A2-sized stiff, square-shaped bag, that design students used to store their sketchbooks and canvas. From what he'd learned, Moriyama was an aspiring menswear clothing designer, which justified the hipster style he was sporting, from head to toe. The fashion school wasn't far from the university, around fifteen minutes walk.

"Sit down, Yoshi. We know why you're late. I ordered your usual sandwich." Kobori shook his head and sighed. The same old routine, everyday.

He put his bag against the wall near his chair before he joined the other three. "Great! Smoked salmon with avocado, right? Thanks, Koji!" He blinked when his eyes met Kise's, as if only noticing him just now. "Oh shit, I'm so rude. You guys brought a friend — hey, nice to meet you. I'm Yoshitaka Moriyama, I study at the fashion school around the neighbourhood. You can call me Yoshi, it's easier to pronounce." He grinned and offered his hand.

Kise smiled at him. "There's no need, Moriyama-Senpai. I'll call you accordingly." He said, in Japanese. "I'm Kise Ryouta, freshman."

Moriyama blinked. "Wait, what? You're Japanese…?" He paused and stared blankly at Kise. "Wait a minute. Are you Kise Ryouta, the model!?" His chair nearly toppled over when he stood suddenly, his yell was drowned by the crowd around him, thankfully.

"Huh? Is he a big deal?" Kasamatsu asked, glancing at Moriyama then at Kise.

Moriyama snapped his head at Kasamatsu and looked as if he'd been offended. "Yuki-chan, are you kidding!? He's an international supermodel! He's been in Milan, Paris and London's Fashion Week! And he was only seventeen at that time!" He whipped his head towards Kise, both palms pressed on the table. "How much is your rate!? Do you think you can model for me? I have a competition I'm gonna enter this winter! Your body line will be perfect for the suit I'm designing!"

It was no big deal, really. Well-known models tended to be really young, and Kise had started modelling since he was twelve. He was no newcomer by the time he walked on European runways, in Paris or Milan. He gave Moriyama a polite smile, nodding once. "Well, sure. I'll think about it, Moriyama-Senpai. I'm pretty free nowadays."

Kise was off to a great start and a great introduction, thanks to Moriyama's enthusiasm to include Kise into the group's conversation.

It wasn't long before he had to leave them for his own schedule. "Senpai, I have to go now. Cognitive Class is in fifteen, and my classmate is waiting for me. I'll see you later?" He told them.

"Ah! It's alright if I text you right? I can give you a tour to my studio. We can do fittings and you can give me feedbacks!" Moriyama exclaimed, mouth peppered with bread crumbs. Kasamatsu shot him an incredulous glance, shoving a napkin at him for the mess.

"Sure. I'll tell you when I'm open for the invitation."

That was enough of a first impression, Kise noted to himself. He'd gotten acquainted to Kasamatsu's friends faster than anticipated, which was good, especially since Moriyama seemed to be a fan.

As he left the cafe, he checked his watch, thirteen minutes. His classmate, Kuroko would be waiting for him in the class, surely busying himself with reading the textbooks. A diligent, quiet sort of guy. He wasn't a part of any popular clique as a freshman like Kise, but he enjoyed Kuroko's snarky honesty and he appreciated the silence. It was a refreshing sort of companionship. He did well with his grades, which could help Kise remind him to study.

Which, he must admit, didn't really bother unless it had some sort of use in practice. Psychology was an interesting field of study — to learn the human mind, it could be useful.

Kise walked back to the campus, when he saw the group of football players, plus Zack, was back in the park, having finished their routine lunch hour games. He stopped for a moment, overhearing their conversation about some house party the group was going to attend on Friday that week. He spent about two to three seconds, before he continued on his way to the class. It was half empty and Kuroko had saved him a seat at the third row from the front.

"You look happy, did something good happen?" The quiet boy asked.

"Yeah, I met someone new today." Kise replied, settling down next to Kuroko. He had a smile on, staring at the empty blackboards with an idea forming inside of his mind.

"Hmm." Came a nonchalant reply. "I guess you're having a date this Friday? Good for you."

He shrugged. He wouldn't call it a date, just yet. "Hahaha, I don't know. We'll see."

"I see." Kuroko didn't seem too interested in the topic, he continued reading the textbook.

Kise reclined his back, relaxed, waiting for the class to start. He had something in his mind — a concept. A sort of morbid curiosity. "What day is it again?" He turned to Kuroko.

"Tuesday." The other boy answered, eyes never leaving the book.

Huh, he guessed he did have plenty of time to think it over. He might need to do some investigation, first.

—

The next two days, Kise had lunch with the trio again, mainly under Moriyama's insistence of him joining the fray because he needed Kise to look over his sketchbook. Since he had a class before they met up, he dragged Kuroko along to the lunch meeting, which nobody minded. They were actually excited to see another Japanese freshman who reminded them of home.

"What do you think? I'm thinking of … leather. A leather suit, made of crocodile skin. It'll look luxurious and expensive, don't you think? Think of the texture of the scales, the  _pattern_  — " Moriyama continued babbling about his ideas for the design he was going to make for the winter competition.

Kasamatsu nearly choked on his coffee at the suggestion. "It'll look awful. And monstrous."

Moriyama looked offended at the comment. "Yuki-chan! You don't understand  _couture_! You need to be bold, be different! So everyone will see what I'm all about!"

" … nuts? Insane? Have a few screws loose?" Kasamatsu rapidly suggested, snorting a laugh.

Kobori suppressed a laughter, but ended up failing to hold back. Kuroko smiled along, which was a rare occurrence. The quiet boy wasn't very talkative nor was he expressive.

"Moriyama-Senpai, that could be a good design, but you really need to learn how to work with the fabric. Do some practice with normal leather." The blonde suggested, instead of chastising him. Granted, it was a fairly ridiculous idea, but he knew fashion and fashion could be wildly artistic as much as it could be simple.

"You understand me! Finally someone understands what I'm yapping about!" Moriyama exclaimed, taking both of Kise's hands into his. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to have a friend like you!"

"Koji, I think we've been replaced." Kasamatsu sarcastically said, tone flat.

Kobori nodded, snickering. "I feel hurt, Yoshi."

"Aww, guys, don't be like that! You know I love you guys the best ~ " The aspiring designer skipped towards the other seniors, settled in between them, then pulled their heads to squish their cheeks together like a sandwich.

"Oh, gross! Get off me!" Despite what Kasamatsu yelled, he wasn't really putting up a fight. Kobori merely sighed in exasperation at his antics. The middle man grinned widely, laughing.

"They are a friendly bunch." Kuroko whispered to Kise. "Thank you for introducing me to them, Kise-kun."

Kise knew Kuroko was quiet and he didn't stand out, which was why he had a hard time finding people to befriend with, what with his struggling english. He knew Kuroko would appreciate the introduction with fellow Japanese students. "No problem, Kurokocchi. I think you owe me a date though." The blonde winked at him, in which Kuroko rolled his eyes in response. That was also one of Kuroko's charm; that he didn't find Kise the least bit attractive. It was refreshing.

They were at the usual cafe on the terrace, minding their own business and enjoying their time getting acquainted with the seniors, when Zack and his friend walked past them. Zack shot a dirty glare at Kasamatsu, purposely knocking his drink until it poured all over the table and down to his lap.

"Oops, sorry." He grinned as Moriyama fussed over Kasamatsu and Kobori ran inside for more napkins.

His friends looked mortified at his antic. Kise guessed he was someone who was friendly with Kasamatsu. "Zack! I'm really sorry man, I'll tell him to cut it out. You okay?" He asked Kasamatsu.

"Yeah, not really. Thank god it's not a hot beverage, else I'll be suing him for a third degree burn." Kasamatsu bitterly responded. Although now his shirt and jeans were soaked with the cold coffee. Napkins wouldn't be enough to drain the stain. "Fuck, I have a class later and I'm all sopping wet."

Moriyama turned his attention to call out the offending jerkass. "Hey, fuckhead! Don't just leave, asshole!" He was too late though, Zack was already quite far, laughing hysterically. His friend apologised again, before he ran after the blonde, presumably to reprimand him.

"What the fuck is his problem? Yuki-chan, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Gonna have to change though. I'll go back to the apartment for a bit." Kasamatsu rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Seriously that asshole, still holding that childish grudge. I should've kicked his ass before he ran away." He scowled.

"I have class in twenty minutes. I can't go with you. Yoshi, can you take him home?" Kobori asked. He had used up the stack of napkins he brought, they weren't enough. Kuroko offered to dump the soiled napkins in the nearby trash bin, which Kobori thanked him for.

"Sure, I'm done for the day. Let's go, Yuki-chan. Use my sweater, I brought a spare." Moriyama dug out a pale green knitted sweater from his backpack, which Kasamatsu wore around his waist to disguise the stain. It was embarrassing because the dark stain was obvious at the front of his jeans.

"God, you guys act like I'm a kid." Kasamatsu groaned. "There goes the laundry fee. This month's going to be tight on the budget."

"I'll talk to Lance if he can get Zack to pay for the laundry." Kobori consoled him. Kise assumed Lance was the mortified friend from before.

Kasamatsu got up and took his own backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. He turned to the freshmen, scratching the side of his head. "Okay. Well, see you later Kuroko and Kise. Sorry you had to witness that scene."

"It's alright, Senpai. Take care." Kuroko replied politely, bowing.

"I'll see you later, Kasamatsu-Senpai."

They watched as the seniors parted ways, Moriyama and Kasamatsu headed for their apartment and Kobori had to leave for the class. Kise and Kuroko had a class in two hours, they weren't in a hurry. "That was awfully rude of that person." Kuroko remarked, frowning. It was different here, people there could be openly aggressive. This sort of culture clash would surprise most of the international students from Japan. "Did he have a problem with Kasamatsu-san?" He asked Kise.

"Not sure." Kise shrugged his shoulders. But that guy was truly rude to Kasamatsu, all for the wrong excuse. His lips tugged down into a frown, eyebrows furrowed. "What an eyesore." He whispered under his breath, barely audible.

Kuroko wasn't paying attention, tilting his head with a puzzled look on his face. "Pardon? What did you say?"

"Nothing." Kise turned to him and smiled. "Anyway, we got two hours to kill — what do you want to do?"

"We can go to the library — don't look at me like that, Kise-kun, I know you haven't done the two-page essay the professor requested. We're going to turn in the papers today." Kuroko scolded him, when he made a face at the suggestion. True, he hadn't done his homework, but he did some reading on the subject at least. He was more into the theory and practice, than to write it down. Seemed like a waste of time.

"Ugh, fine. Let's go."

On the way to the library, Kise overheard a conversation between a bunch of friends. Seniors, he guessed. He'd seen them in the dormitory he lived in, he recognized their faces. Apparently one of them had misplaced the prescribed sleeping pills. He was panicking, practically pouring the content of his bag all over the bench. His friend asked him where he'd put it last time, but he said he didn't remember, that the last time he'd seen it he was at the library. The pills were to cure his chronic insomnia.

Kise pursed his lips as they entered the library, his mind went to the conversation he'd overheard. Kuroko didn't seem to notice the small scene earlier.

"Kurokocchi, save us a spot would you? I'm going to the restroom."

"Sure. I'd be at the usual corner."

He walked past the library reception desk to get to the restroom, it was empty at this hour. Kise spotted a small bottle of pills on the floor, in one of the empty stalls, rolled to the back of the toilet. He picked it up, wiping it clean with a few sheets of tissue. He checked the label, then proceeded to put it into his bag.

Kise left the restroom a minute later, almost bumping onto a tall redhead on his way out.

—

Kise was accompanying Sarah and Kimberly on a shopping trip to Beverly Hills, when he learned of the upcoming party he overheard some days ago.

"Did you know there's going to be a huge party at Blake's tomorrow?" Sarah said when they stopped by the Starbucks for a break. She delicately sipped on her vanilla panna cotta frappuccino, her long acrylic nails were freshly reapplied back at the nail salon she went to just yesterday, with Kim.

"I heard it's gonna be like, a huge one! His parents are away for a whole week, you know he's going all out on it. Are you going?" Kimberly, a pale freckled beauty, exclaimed. She was reapplying her lipstick with the new Chanel rouge she bought just the hour before.

"Not sure. The football team's going and all, but like, it's boring because we live so nearby. I wanna club this friday." The latina rolled her eyes as if it was a ridiculous idea.

Kise heard the conversation in silence, busying himself with his phone. He had no class that day, but Kuroko never failed to remind him of homeworks. After he'd sent the message, Kise pocketed his smartphone. "The football team's going?" He asked, curious. Zachary was in the football team, he knew that much. Lance had the built, so Kise took a guess. "Even Zack and Lance?"

"Yeah, I heard Zack's been screwing up the season. Got a knee injury and all. He's such a prick nowadays. I think he needs to get laid, take off the tension and whatnot." Sarah tucked back a strand fringe that got to her face.

Friday evening, a house party near Sarah's house. The gears in his head were starting to tick, a chain reaction emerged in result, connecting the dots that were vague at first. A morbid curiosity that surfaced some days ago, was becoming a tempting concept, a real deal. He was fascinated by the way the fog was lifted, and he could see the ideas map itself on the black canvas within his mind, forming a vile blueprint with ivory-white lines, the colour of bones.

A smile made it to his lips.

Kise leaned close to Sarah's ear, whispering in a low, seductive tone. "How about I take you out this Friday?" He asked. "You can show me where to have a good time, and I can show you a good time in return."

When he withdrew, he could see a pink flush bloom on her cheeks, and he knew then the blueprint was completed.

—

Two pills in her drink after sex, and she was out like a baby.

When he was sure Sarah was out cold, Kise got dressed. He had a change of clothes with him; a black hoodie jacket, a white shirt underneath, a pair of jeans, a pair of gloves and a cheap beanie he used to cover his hair. Then he wore a pair of non-prescription glasses to complete the look. With his hair tucked inside the black beanie and the glasses, he didn't look like his usual self at the first glance. Perfect. Kise left his bag in her bedroom, after he took the bottle of ambien pills from the backpack.

He took it to the kitchen countertop, discreetly crushed several pills with the back side of a plate, into a fine pile of white powder. He distributed the powder into a small medicine pouch, putting it in his pocket. He cleaned up the counter after he was done.

11:10 P.M., and by the sound of it, the party at Blake's house hadn't slowed down, as it was getting even more lively than an hour ago. The house was only several blocks away from Sarah's, which was convenient. Sarah's parents were away for the weekend, while her brother Sheldon was nowhere to be found, presumably at the party.

He left her house, gloved hands tucked in the front pockets of the jacket. Kise only needed to follow the loud music to reach the venue of the party.

By that time, everyone was more than a little drunk.

It was an open house party, the number of attendees far exceeded the house's capability to contain them. Everyone chatted noisily while the DJ played the songs, everyone was basically strangers, which was why Kise could slip into the house easily. It didn't take long for him to find the football team with their signature white and red team jackets, scattered around doing their own thing.

Zachary was chatting up some girls, his face was red, and his movement was a bit clumsy. It was obvious that he'd drunk quite a bit already, stinking of alcohol, yet he chugged down the beer in the cup with gusto.

Kise slipped through the crowd, got into the kitchen, where they kept their supply of seemingly unlimited beers and vodkas. There were people everywhere, Kise bumped into a few drunks who were rushing to the toilet to vomit, but it was occupied, so they vomited on the floor instead. Thankfully Kise was already far from the scene by that time.

He took an empty cup, filled half of it with vodka, another half with the black beer. Kise took out the small pouch, then poured the white powder into the cup, stirring the contents with a straw.

He took another cup and filled it with tap water, for himself.

Zack was by himself, when he returned to the spot. It seemed that the chick ditched him for being too drunk. "Hey man, what's up?" He greeted, obscuring his accent slightly. The fact that Zack didn't know Kise and that he was drunk, it worked to his advantage. He offered the drink to Zack, who was staring at him with half-lidded eyes and knitted brows.

"Who… 're you?" He slurred, yet he didn't refuse the offer for another cup of beer.

"I'm a fan, Zack. Heard you got injured, man. I hope it'll get better soon, I'm looking forward to see you back in the field." Kise patted him on the arm, then sipped his drink. The water slid down his throat easily. He'd better stayed sober.

"Huh… you.. for real? A fan. Huh. Didn't know ya." Zack murmured to himself, back reclining to the wall behind him. He nonchalantly chugged down the drink, letting out a long sigh that got drowned by the music. "Shit. That shit's good." He commented, blinking several times.

"You okay, man? I think you should stop drinking. You look bad." Kise drank his water again, chugging it down. Zack watched the way he drank it, and then he downed the drugged drink again.

"I'm not… drunk. Fuck. My head's spinning." He wobbled, knees shook. Kise caught him before he fell, limply lying against him. "What… the fuck. Can't… my legs…" He kept mumbling incoherently.

A few people looked at them, but soon they turned away minding their own business. It wasn't an uncommon sight.

"You're too drunk, Zack. Let me take you somewhere you can rest." Kise flung his arm over his shoulder, finding it a little hard due to Zack's weight. But Kise was taller and muscular enough to lift him if needed. He dragged the football player upstairs to look for the guestroom. Somewhere with a bed or a couch, and away from the crowd.

The guestrooms were occupied though, Kise could hear moaning and bed creaking in the hallways. Lucky for him, one of them was finished. A man left the room, clothes and hair dishevelled, sporting a smug look on his face as he fixed his jeans. Then a girl followed him out of the room. Her tank top was pulled low enough to show her nipples, her mini skirt was heavily creased, pulled high for Kise to catch a glimpse of her lack of panties. She immediately fixed up her clothes, although she was clearly drunk. The girl wobbled along with her boyfriend, leaving the door open.

Kise dragged the barely conscious footballer into the recently empty bedroom. He noted the scent of sex lingering in the air, but ignored it otherwise. He urged Zack to lay on the bed.

"Phew, you're pretty heavy." He commented.

Kise backtracked to lock the door, meanwhile Zack was groaning and blinking hard, muttering incoherently. "Where… where am I…?" For a minute he seemed to be having a moment of clarity, something Kise knew would soon pass. Zack looked at Kise, blinking several more times. "That beer… … tastes weird…" His slurring became worse.

He sat in the side of the bed, tilting his head. "I guess a combination of Vodka, black beer and sleeping pills could taste weird. Personally, I never tried it so I have no idea." He said. "How do you feel?"

"Like… fuck … my head…" He grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

Kise wondered what would it be, would Zack have an overdose, or would he vomit it all out? The possibility of overdose varied from individual to individual, too many and he would vomit instead of overdosing, too few and he could just fall asleep. Overdosing on pills wasn't exactly a reliable method of suicide, or killing. Some former drug abusers grew higher resistance towards drugs, although he had no idea if Zack was a drug user. Kise wanted to see which one it was, so he waited, patiently.

Zack started sweating, his face was red. He was babbling nonstop, but none of it was clear enough to form a word.

Kise took off one of the gloves just to check his vital signs. His skin was hot, he was sweating densely. The pulse accelerated while his breathing started becoming louder, he was gasping for breath.

"Are you overdosing, or having a heart attack?" Zack didn't reply, his pupils were blown and he was having a hard time breathing. "We'll find out soon enough, I guess." He observed more closely.

And Zack was staring back at Kise, wide-eyed, in the throes of death. His body started convulsing.

Kise felt a certain kind of thrill rousing from the depths of himself, genuine and raw. Not at all like the emotions he emulated on daily basis, this was different. This was the kind of high he'd only ever gotten when Kise attempted something risky, something dangerous — adrenaline would course through his veins — the euphoric sensations would reach his head quickly, spreading out from top to bottom. It would linger for days, even weeks. He couldn't get enough of it. He couldn't get enough of the high he got when he saw life slip away from those eyes, growing dim, dark and dead.

He was addicted.

Suddenly, Zack started choking, taking him by surprise.

Brownish liquid started pouring at either sides of his cheeks. He was vomiting, yet his body was convulsing, semi-paralysed. He was making distinct choked noises that grew louder as he looked up at Kise, begging him with his eyes. He couldn't even properly call for help. Kise stared at him, fascinated by the way Zack's throat visibly constricted, that bits of that brownish liquid might be seeping into his lungs.

"Vomiting it is." He commented, putting the gloves back on.

Kise stood up, then he slapped a hand over Zack's mouth, forcing the liquid inside. Zack's eyes grew wide. As wide as saucers, they would say.

He could feel him struggling, attempting to move and thrash, but with the sleeping pills and alcohol in his system, he could do little to help himself. Zack let out muffled noises, between choking and half-screaming, until he went quiet a few moments later. His sight lost its light, rapidly growing dim. His limbs were still convulsing, which was an involuntary reaction of a freshly dead body. His eyes were wide open by the time he died, choking on his own vomit.

He withdrew the soiled gloved hand. It was quite a mess.

Kise glanced at the clock. 11:34 P.M. That wasn't a bad record.

He took the time to clean up for a bit, never taking off his gloves despite the vomit. He closed Zack's eyes, rolled him slightly to the side, then tucked him under the blanket, one arm was placed over the sheets. Now it seemed like he was sleeping. Kise took a few steps back to admire his handiwork. Perfect. Now, he only needed to do one more thing.

Kise lifted Zack's hand and took off the ring from his thumb. The silver ring had a pattern of a tribal tattoo, carved along the circular band. He held it against a light source to see how it glimmered brightly against the gloved fingers.

A present.

He smiled. It would be a great present, indeed. Kise carefully put the ring into his jeans pocket.

Minutes later, he was already out of the house and the party. When he was back at Sarah's house, it was almost midnight. He took off the gloves, rinsed away the dried up vomit, then covered them in plastic wrap he found in the kitchen. He stripped his spare clothes and beanie, then put them inside of his bag.

He would dispose of them in the morning and he'd burn the gloves. He'd get rid of everything, except for the pills. It might come in handy later. He didn't forget to take out the ring, put it into a small gift bag tucked in the bottom of the bag, and made sure it was stored in a safe place.

Kise slipped into the bed with Sarah, wearing only boxers. She was deeply asleep — Sarah would serve as Kise's alibi.

He had half a mind to think of leaving the gift at Kasamatsu's apartment door early in the morning, before he'd dispose of the clothes. Kise could only imagine, what sort of reaction Kasamatsu would have? It would be a surprise. The blonde closed his eyes, although he wasn't able to sleep until an hour later, due to the adrenaline that coursed through his veins.

—

The next day, it took a half day before someone realised Zack was dead in the guest bedroom of Blake's house. Some of the guys found that he wasn't breathing, as they thought he had been sleeping. It was an uproar. Everyone who crashed at the house was questioned by the police. They hadn't ruled the possibility of a murder since the official autopsy report wasn't released yet.

Kise left Sarah's house in the morning after he woke her up, to tell her he was leaving. He drove to Kasamatsu's apartment at five in the morning, hung the gift bag by the door handle, then left to dispose of the evidence.

—

TBC.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I swear I cracked up when a friend told me she found Kise’s action is similar to a cat — giving their kills to their owners. Oh my god...


	2. Lurking Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yo, I'mma just drop this here…

  
—

**Dark Veins**

—

Chapter 2: Lurking Shadow

—

In the next morning, Kasamatsu suddenly woke up with a startle.

It wasn't due to a nightmare or the screeching noises of the stray cats in the middle of the night (which was frequent). Or the loud, heavy steps of the residents upstairs — one floor above his bedroom, lived a family of four whose morning routine was louder than that of the commercial construction workers (every morning the mother would scream at her kids to wake up for school and her voice became an unfortunate alarm clock that was habitually an hour too early for him) — No. None of those things.

It was actually his cellphone.

He frowned, eyebrows knitted tightly. Yukio had a headache from the sudden waking, not to mention he hadn't been sleeping much for the past few days to write his papers — he forced himself to reach for the heavily vibrating, loudly singing cellphone (Moriyama must've changed the ringtone last night). The beeping screen helped him navigate for the item in the midst of the darkness. He caught it, stared at the screen, with eyes squinted and vision blurry from the slumber. He rubbed his eyes to brush away the leftover crusts at the corners of his eyes, then took a look at it again.

The call ended the second he did, which annoyed him all the more. A missed call.

He groaned exasperatedly. He didn't bother to check who it was because he was too irritated and he didn't want to have to call back right now. Hopefully it wasn't an emergency call or something equally dire. He blindly put the cellphone onto the nightstand, nearly missing the corner.

Yukio ran both palms up and down his face. Sleep-deprived, exhausted and now with an active headache. Great. He grumbled to himself.

It was still dark, 5 A.M.

He had half the thought of continuing his work, the other half, suggested to get back to sleep. Only one fleeting thought, was about checking his phone again. The first idea, he was too groggy to do that, the second — he had morning class in three hours. Not a good idea to go to bed now — he was sure he'd sleep in. Yukio usually went to the cafe an hour before class, for some light reading, breakfast and coffee.

The fleeting thought seemed to be the easiest to manage at the moment. Kasamatsu sat on the edge of the bed, stretched his arms and limbs first, before he checked the missed call. Lance Brown, he read the contact's name. He frowned. Why did Lance call him so early in the morning? That was awfully sudden of him.

Maybe it was a drunk call, he thought. It was the weekend and people drunk alcohol as early as Friday night. It was Saturday morning… the probability was high.

Kasamatsu put down the cellphone, yawning. He'd been teased by his roommates for working on his papers on weekends, even went as far as to decline Moriyama's invitation to go to a gay club. As tempting as it was (not), he preferred to watch movies at home. Koji thankfully was on his side — or maybe he didn't want his ass to get  _accidentally_  groped by a stranger like the last time they were there. Koji was positively mortified that his straightness was questioned and his innocent ass touched by a stranger, technically sexually harassed in a nightclub.

Yoshi and his newfound bisexuality, coupled that with the crazy clubbing phase, it brought endless torments to both Yukio and Koji. In which either was introverted or straight, respectively.

Naturally, they ended up with watching Netflix and eating popcorns in the living room. All three of them. Though Kasamatsu removed himself from the scene halfway through to continue his studies. Moriyama had sulked, passive aggressively complained for the remainder of the night, then proceeded to discreetly change Kasamatsu's cellphone ringtone and volume as an act of minor rebellion. He probably did something similar to Kobori's phone.

Really, such a kid. Some things never changed.

He sighed. The least he could do now was wash his face and brew some coffee … he decided. Kasamatsu got off the bed, placed the cellphone on his desk and went out. He found Moriyama sleeping on the couch, covered in blanket. There were empty beer cans on the table, and on the floor. The bowl of popcorns was empty. Kobori was nowhere, probably in his own room.

He looked at Moriyama and sighed again. The man would complain about his sore back, or being hungover, or both. Kasamatsu mentally noted to get some aspirin for Moriyama later. Coffee could work too.

He went to the small kitchen across the living room, turned on the coffee brew and poured himself a glass of water. He washed his face in the sink. Yukio spent the early morning cleaning after Moriyama's mess, tried to nudge him awake without much success ("No, Yuki-chan…. it's Saturday…" Yoshi mumbled, turning in his sleep. The blanket covered him like a safety cocoon.), he swept the floor a bit and took out the trash — by the time he went out, it was already 6. A.M.

Yukio didn't notice there was something on the door knob, until he swung the door open and something fell to the ground.

He blinked at the small, blue bag that was lying on the floor right before him. He wasn't sure if it fell from the ceilings or somewhere else.

"What's this…?" Yukio hesitated for a moment, before he stepped out, the big, black plastic bag in hand, then he bent over to pick up the item by the satiny strings that was the bag's handle. A gift bag. He thought. A small one. He wasn't sure who and where it came from. The bag dangled from his hold, turning slowly to show him the plain front and back side. He noticed a card was sticking out of the bag's mouth.

A gift?

He glanced at the door and wondered if this was from one of Moriyama's admirers. Moriyama was quite popular — a handsome, tall asian guy with boisterous personality; he attracted guys and girls like bees to honey. Both he and Koji had to make sure he wasn't stalked by strange people, from time to time.

Kasamatsu didn't immediately check the card. He went back inside to put it away, before he resumed taking out the trash. He didn't think much of the gift bag until much later. After he was all done with the chores, Yukio prepared some aspirin and a glass of water on a tray for Moriyama, that he placed on the coffee table by the couch. He also put the gift bag on the tray. It should be a nice surprise for his roommate. Hopefully, it could improve his mood and he wouldn't suggest going to the gay bar again.

God knew, Yukio didn't want to act as Moriyama's boyfriend —  _again_  — just so stubborn strangers would stop trying to take him home. The last time, it was Koji, and the stranger suggested a  _threesome_. Awful. Hilarious, but awful. Koji was thoroughly traumatised.

Kasamatsu shook his head. Nope. All he needed to think now, was finish his coffee and continue his papers. Which exactly what he did; breakfast and coffee, a bit of studying then off to the campus. He'd have a basketball session with the guys later in the noon, as usual.

He walked down the empty streets. Kasamatsu was sipping onto his cup of coffee while waiting for the light to turn green, when a light tap on his shoulder drew his attention. Thankfully, he didn't choke nor spill his coffee at the sudden touch — but he was about to give the person a piece of his mind.

"Good morning, Senpai!" A bundle of feather-like blonde hair and a pair of honey-colored eyes came to sight. For a second he thought it was a stranger, it took one proper look and he realised it was the guy he met last week. Kise Ryouta.

"Oh, it's you." Kasamatsu said, nodding once. "Good morning. Got a lecture today?"

"Yeah. " The blonde tilted his head and smiled. "How was your Friday, Senpai?" Kise looked at him, his gaze went up and down, as if searching for something.

"We had a movie night with popcorns and beers. Nothing exciting. How about you?" Kasamatsu asked. They walked side by side when the light turned green. Kasamatsu inevitably noticed a lot of girls were staring at Kise, pointing and whispering. He wasn't a model for nothing.

"Went clubbing. Stayed over at a friend's." Kise casually told him. "Nothing much."

"Did you enjoy the night scene?"

Kise shrugged. "It was okay. Do you like clubbing, Senpai?"

"Not my kind of thing, unfortunately. Moriyama likes to dance at clubs, usually on weekends. I just go with the flow, but not often." Kasamatsu sighed. Neither Koji nor he liked the nightlife scene. Meanwhile, Moriyama enjoyed mingling with new people and dancing at lively places. It was his hobby. They would humour Yoshi's request when they weren't too busy with school.

The blonde laughed. "I should invite Moriyama-Senpai on a night out, sometimes."

"Careful, he might drag you around 'til morning." Kasamatsu smiled a bit. Kise stared at him. He held his gaze a little longer than necessary, thought it wasn't overly uncomfortable. Just somewhat personal. The close proximity probably had something to do with it.

The conversation was light and engaging. Kise knew a lot about basketball, which kept Kasamatsu invested in talking. The blonde occasionally asked him a bit about the psych studies — especially the introduction to criminology — which the senior gladly gave the answers, and then some. They picked up some coffee along the way to the library, which since Kasamatsu had breakfast earlier, he had no reason to stick around at the cafe.

It was nice. The weather wasn't too cold nor too cold. It was quite sunny. He and Kise sipped their coffee as they headed to the central library, taking the route along the park by Kise's suggestion. It was relaxing. Kasamatsu momentarily forgot about the papers. "It's a really nice school." Kise commented, as he stared at the blue sky above their heads.

"Yeah, it is. It's a good place to live as a student." The campus practically had everything, as if it was a miniature, independent city. They had great lectures on the subjects he wanted to learn and the facilities that supported the learning process.

"Senpai, you study Criminology, right? What would you like to be after you graduate?" Kise asked, slowly. "I'm just curious, since psych major's job prospects are limited."

"I actually want to be a cop. I figured learning the ways criminals think can be valuable additions to the skill sets." Kasamatsu admitted, sipping his hot latte. "After graduating, I'm planning to apply to a Police Academy institute. I'm not sure if it's going to be here, or back in Japan."

"You won't try to apply for a job here?"

He shook his head. "Visa's the main problem. I'm not sure yet. At this point, there's a lot of considerations to think over. You have a few years to think about your future plans, Kise. Don't worry too much."

"Hmmm. Okay, I got it." The blonde scratched his nose. "I'm not sure what I'm gonna do after this."

"You're not continuing modelling?" Kasamatsu asked.

"I'm considering it." Kise put his hands in his pockets. "Maybe I'd even check out some of the modelling agencies around the area. But, it's not really a stable occupation, y'know? Once I hit twenty eight or something, it'll go down from there."

Kasamatsu offered him a smile. "You're still young."

"Yep, gotta think ahead, right?" The blonde laughed warmly.

Yukio had thought that Kise wouldn't be the type to think far ahead into the future. It looked like he was mistaken. Kise gave a thought of it, which was good. Maybe not all models were as frivolous as they appeared. Although some of the male models who worked for Moriyama's shows were pretty shallow — Kasamatsu wasn't comfortable around them, couldn't even talk to them. Kise was more humble and friendly, at least. He was pleasantly surprised.

Before he knew it, they were spending more time together in the library until it was nearing time for the morning lecture. Kasamatsu told Kise the guys were going to play basketball around noon, and that he could join them if he wanted. Kise smiled at the invitation. He told Kasamatsu he'd love to join them later.

The morning went on normally.

Yukio got to class early, opened his notes and texted Kobori to ask if Moriyama was awake yet. The lecture went smoothly despite the professor's ten minutes of tardiness. It was all good … until class ended. He went out of the class and started overhearing loud whispers that came from a bunch of people on the way to the cafe, as he was going to meet his roommates for lunch.

"Did you hear the news about Zack?" One girl said to her friend.

Another girl enthusiastically responded to the bait. "I did, I did! I heard it's at Blake's house! Scary. Thank god I didn't go last night. I had my period…"

"Heard he OD'd." A guy added to the conversation.

"Was he on drugs?"

"Could be the painkiller. I heard from my friend it's easy to get addicted to it …and didn't Zack get injured last time?"

"For real!?"

Kasamatsu frowned.

He only knew one Zack, and as much of a douchebag he was, Zack wasn't into drugs. He was sure of it. This must be another person with a similar name… he shook his head. Couldn't be. He tried not to think about it, yet it bothered him. He pulled out his cell to send a text to Kobori, asking if he knew what was up. On the way, he kept hearing similar whispers. 'Zack overdosed,' or 'Someone did him in.'

What exactly happened last night?

Kobori didn't have a saturday lecture, but he liked to hang around the campus anyway — Kasamatsu hoped he knew something about it. News. The good kind.

However, that hope was crushed to the ground when he arrived at the cafe and saw Kobori speaking with Lance. They had serious, urgent looks on their faces. Lance looked particularly dishevelled. "Yuki…" Kobori said when he noticed Kasamatsu's presence. "Sorry, I saw your text. I was talking to Lance…" He reluctantly glanced at the tall African-American man, who looked scared out of his wits.

Lance was hysterical. As soon as he saw Kasamatsu, he lunged at him. "Yukio, did you receive my call!?" He grabbed Kasamatsu's shoulders. "Where were you last night!?"

The sudden force took him aback. "What…? I was home. With Koji and Yoshi. You called when I was sleeping." He shook the hands off of him. He looked at both of them, utterly confused. "What are you on about? What's going on?"

"Yuki… something happened last night." Kobori urged him to sit down. He had that forced smile look on his face, the one he put on whenever he felt anxious or scared, or both.

"Yeah, I heard the gossips. The whole campus is talking about it." His eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Really, tell me now. What's up? Is Zack okay? Is he at the hospital?"

Koji drew in a long, deep breath. He looked almost sorry when he revealed the news to Yukio. "No, Yuki. Zack is… Zack passed away."

"What?" He blinked. Somewhere in his mind, he hoped he misheard Kobori.

"He's  _dead_ , man! He's dead! Zack's dead!" Lance snapped furiously, his shoulders were shaking. Kasamatsu looked at Lance and saw the emotions changing rapidly on his face. Fear. Guilt. Sadness. Anger. They created a storm of chaos within the man.

"I shouldn't have left him alone at the party… I should've just stuck to him no matter how drunk he got! Now he's … he's dead!" He choked, burying his face in his hands. He was a tall man with a broad built, but now… he looked so small. Broken. It shocked him.

As Kasamatsu was processing the information, Kobori tried to comfort the man. "Lance, it's not your fault. Nobody could've known Zack would overdose — "

"Zack wasn't doing drugs!" Lance retorted loudly, sharply. They were beginning to attract an audience. "He might be a bit of an asshole, but I swear he never did drugs! Not even sleeping pills or steroids. He wasn't addicted to painkillers like they said, man! They're lyin'! He didn't overdose!"

"Okay, Lance. Calm down. I got it. The cause of death must be something else." Kobori caught a hold of the man's shoulders. Since Kobori was almost as tall as Lance, he quickly gained control of the situation. He sat him down on a chair, talking to him until he calmed down.

Kasamatsu was stunned in his seat, baffled. Dead? How could it be? The last time he saw Zack, he was wearing that smug look on his face as usual. He was playing ball on the grass field of the park on a friday noon, with his football teammates. And suddenly he was … gone. He couldn't believe it.

"I can't… believe it." He murmured. "How could it be?"

"We don't know for sure. They're still running an investigation — an autopsy. He died at a house party at Blake's house. The cops have the place on lock. Everyone said it's overdose, but really, we don't know the facts yet. It'll take a while 'til we learn everything." Kobori told him. "It could be an accident."

"I should've watched him better. Coach told me to watch over him…" Lance kept murmuring, blaming himself. "Goddammit, Zack."

" … I'm sorry for your loss." Kasamatsu didn't know what else to say.

They spent some time consoling Lance, until the guy had to go when he received a call from Zack's parents. He looked miserable when he left, guilt-ridden and upset. The mood had turned somber. They began their lunch in silence — Moriyama was late as usual — they could hear whispers and gossips here and there, talking about the incident. The food turned bitter in Yukio's mouth. It wasn't someone he knew very well, but it was someone he knew. The news had turned his stomach, his appetite was scarce.

"It leaves a bad taste, doesn't it?" Kobori softly murmured.

"Yeah…" Kasamatsu sighed. His gaze locked at the half-eaten pasta. He didn't feel like finishing it. "I just… can't believe it, you know? I'm half-expecting him to show up from the corner, ready to knock over my drink or something."

"He was rude and childish, but wasn't a bad guy." Kobori nodded.

No, he wasn't too bad. Sometimes when he was in a good mood, Zack would join them in the court. He was a decent basketball player. Kasamatsu forced himself to bite more of the food. The pasta turned cold because he took his time with it.

His attention was switched when his cellphone rang with a message from Moriyama, declaring he was on the way to the cafe. He also mentioned he was bringing something Kasamatsu had forgotten — that last sentence made Kasamatsu raise his eyebrows. He didn't think he forgot anything. He had his wallet, cellphone, keys, notebooks and laptop in his bag. He had everything he needed. Moriyama must've been mistaken.

A while later, their roommate came up to them with a cheerful grin and a broad wave of his arm. It was a contrast of the current mood — it was uplifting. A breath of fresh air. "Yuki-chan, Koji! Sorry, I'm late!" Moriyama smiled at the part-time waiter, Tom, who smiled at him back as he took Kasamatsu and Kobori's plates. He ordered iced coffee and lasagna from the counter, before he approached his roommates.

He drew the empty chair to sit, put his bag on the table and looked at them. "Hmm? Why the gloomy faces?" He asked, blinking.

"Aah… No, just…" Kobori and Kasamatsu looked at each other. "Something happened. Someone…died."

Yoshi's eyes widened. "Someone died? Who was it? Was it an accident?"

"Sort of." Kobori forced a smile. It was weak. Yukio could tell he was trying to change the topic. "Come on, Yoshi. Sit down. How was the hangover?"

"Awful. The aspirins helped. Thanks a bunch, Yuki!" Moriyama grinned at Kasamatsu, who cracked a smile for his friend. Yoshi's presence helped brighten the mood. "By the way, you forgot something, Yuki-chan." Yoshitaka put his bag back to his lap to make room for his orders, then he opened it, rummaging the contents.

Kasamatsu watched him, cocking his head. "Yoshi, I don't think I forgot any — "

Before he could finish, Moriyama pulled out a small blue gift bag tied with navy blue ribbons, and set it in front of him, next to his coffee. The same one Yukio found at their front door.

"What?" He blinked as he stared at the delicate looking gift bag. "This is yours." He said, attempting to shove it towards Moriyama.

Moriyama shoved it back to him. "Nope. It's not. I read the card. It says 'To Yukio Kasamatsu' — no sender though."

Kobori peeked his head in, glancing at the item with interest. "What's that?"

"Probably from Yuki-chan's secret admirer?" Moriyama teased, grinning.

Kasamatsu didn't share the sentiment. He stared warily at the gift bag, frowning. He'd never gotten random gifts from people he didn't know. If there was, he would've refused. One could never be too careful. Kasamatsu took the card slowly, unwrapped the small white envelope, and read it. There was indeed his name on the envelope. The card read as following; 'For Yukio.' Nothing else. Everything was written neatly in english, with beautiful calligraphy. His frown deepened.

"Is this some sort of a joke? Or a prank?" He looked at Moriyama, who shrugged.

"Who knows." Yoshi said. "What's in it?"

He was greatly reluctant. Curious, but suspicious. It took him a full minute of inspecting the bag at every angle, took it and shook it near his ear. It rattled in his hold. There was something small inside. Not heavy at all. In fact the gift bag might be too big for the content. Still reluctant, Yukio opened it, and found something round, at the flat bottom of the bag. He squinted his eyes. It looked like…. a ring? He tilted the bag, until the content rolled onto the palm of his hand.

Kasamatsu tightened his jaw. It was a ring. A silver ring with a pattern of tribal tattoo inscribed along the outer band. Flashy.

"Oh wow. Someone gave Yuki a ring." Moriyama gaped at the 'gift,' lips twitching upwards. "Someone's really into you, Yuki-chan."

"A ring?" Kobori leaned closer to take a look. He blinked. "That is a flashy ring. Who is it from?"

"Someone with taste." Yoshi commented.

Kasamatsu tightened his jaw. A ring. What a joke. If it was a joke, it had gone too far.

"I'm throwing it away."

"What!? Why?"

"Because I don't know who this is from, Yoshi. I don't like this kind of… method." Kasamatsu was suspicious of someone who'd buy him things despite the fact that they were not his partner. And that they obscured their identity while doing so. It alarmed him. "I'm not wearing it."

"Well, don't wear it. Just keep it, until you find the person who gave it to you. Look at that! It looks expensive!" Moriyama pointed out. Which was true. It could be expensive. Though Kasamatsu knew nothing about jewellery appraisal and their prices. He honestly didn't care.

"But it's given to him, so he can do whatever he wants with it, Yoshi." Kobori gave his comment.

"Sssh! Koji! Don't disrespect jewel artistry!" Moriyama shushed his roommate. "Anyway, Yuki-chan. Don't throw it away. Just keep it, until you find out who's the giver, okay? I don't want to imagine that … piece of art ending up at the bottom of the trash bin!"

Kasamatsu gave him a  _look_. "Yoshi… sounds like you want it yourself. You can have it." He offered it to him. He wasn't fond of wearing jewellery anyway.

"God no. I don't want seconds from people who aren't into me." Yoshi huffed stubbornly. "I'll lend you a box. You can just put it in there, okay?"

Kasamatsu was really hesitant and sceptical about this. Moriyama kept on nudging him and insisting, until he gave in. When Yoshi got this naggy, even Yukio would have to give up. It was hard to argue with a guy who was so passionated about the artistry of said ring.

"Fine. I'll keep it until I find out who sent it to me. After that, I'm returning it." He promised with a deep sigh. The mood had completely changed due to Moriyama's antics. Even Kobori was laughing at them.

"Sometimes I think we're controlled by Yoshi's whims." The taller man whispered to Kasamatsu.

"Yeah. That's true." Yukio smiled.

The ring went into his jeans pocket, for safekeeping.

—

The rumours had started.

Kise could hear whispers of gossip wherever he went; curiosity, shock, bafflement and disbelief, mixed together in a storm of hushes that blanketed the entire campus. Especially with the involvement of the police, the news quickly blew out of proportions. Soon, the news would cover the death of a student in a house party. Did he overdose? Was it foul play? The mystery broadened, so would the media coverage of it.

He was in a great mood. The blonde hummed to himself as he left the morning lecture class with Kuroko, who accompanied him to the lockers. Kise left his notebooks and textbooks inside, which prompted a criticism from the shorter man.

"If you put all your books in the locker, how do you study at home?" The blue-eyed boy pointed out.

"Well, I don't." Kise easily said. "Weekends aren't for studying."

"… really, Kise-kun. You'll get dumber by the minute." Kuroko deadpanned.

The blonde laughed. "You're really mean, Kurokocchi ~ " He closed the locker and made sure he locked it. "So, what's your plan for the weekends?" He asked Kuroko.

"I'm going to the campus library to start my part-time job today." He said. "I'll be at the counter from 1 - 6 P.M. Tomorrow, I have another part-time job at the coffee shop. As a waiter."

"Kurokocchi really likes books." Kise commented. It was still 11:30 A.M. though. "So, lunch first?"

"Okay." Kuroko nodded.

"Should we go join the seniors?"

"Not today, I'm afraid. A sandwich will suffice. I need to get ready for the shift."

Kise put an arm over his shoulder and drew him close. "Kurokocchi's so polite and cute." He chuckled softly.

A few people in the hallway looked at them, yet quickly went on with their own business. It might look flirty on the outside, when in fact, he was just joking around. Kuroko never showed interest in Kise. He was either straight, or Kise was just not his type. The blonde flirted with him anyway, it was all fun and games. Besides, Kuroko really was petite and cute. Pretty cuddly too.

His petite companion sighed loudly. "Please get off of me, it's stuffy and your armpit's wet."

"I smell good, right?" Kise leaned in to sniff Kuroko, quickly withdrawing as soon as he did. "Damn, you smell like dogs, Kurokocchi." He recoiled. Upon closer inspection, indeed he spotted whitish furs on Kuroko's shirt, camouflaged by the colour.

Kuroko shrugged. "I played with the neighbours' pets this morning."

"Oooh, so Kurokocchi loves dogs."

"I do. I love animals."

They didn't go to the usual cafe, instead they bought sandwiches from the sandwich stand outside the building, and then settled on the park's bench to eat. Kise would join Kasamatsu in the courtyard later, he had plenty of time to spare. For now, he would bond with his quiet classmate. Kise hardly hungout with other people in his class — mostly casual conversations, nothing much. He preferred Kurokocchi's company. It was relaxing and quiet.

They ate as they watched some guys played ball in the park. Kise noticed they were playing basketball, five guys to be exact. One of them was really tall, with a set of broad shoulders, flaming red hair and a pair of thick, weirdly shaped eyebrows. Kise thought he saw him before — if he wasn't wrong — the redhead was the Ace of their basketball club, who got full scholarship on the sport. Tiger… something. He couldn't remember right now. Not bad though, he had muscular physique and strong movements. The guys around him clearly weren't as fast as he was. The guy was leagues ahead of them.

Kuroko ate his sandwich while watching them, albeit silently.

Meanwhile, Kise was getting chattier. "Hey, isn't that guy the Ace of the basketball club? The one with the red hair."

"I'm not sure. I haven't checked all the extracurricular clubs yet. I do not know if someone is a member of a particular sports club." Kuroko bluntly said. "I do know he borrows a lot of basketball-related books from the library."

Kise raised an eyebrow. "You  _talked_  to him?"

He nodded. "Occasionally, yes. When I'm at the library counter… sometimes when I'm just reading in the library, he comes over to say hi. Apparently, he speaks Japanese. His family moved to the States when he was young. He was born in Japan."

Kise looked at the redheaded guy, who didn't look like someone who'd read. At all. If he went to the library, Kise would've thought the reason would be to exploit the table and the air-conditioned room for napping purposes. 

"O… kay. Sounds like a good guy." Even though he looked like your average jock. "What's his name?"

"Kagami. Kagami Taiga." Kuroko said.

"… Tiger?"

"Yes."

Japanese people had questionable naming sense, Kise mentally criticised. So, Kagami, huh? Just as he turned his attention back to the team, the redheaded guy was heading this way — or to Kuroko's way. He had a bright grin on his face as bullets of sweat dripped down his jaw. His shirt was wet with the sweat.

"Hi, Tetsuya!" He greeted Kuroko, apparently ignoring Kise's existence next to the shorter man.

"Good afternoon, Kagami-san." Kuroko stood up and bowed once. He smiled at the redhead. "And, about what I mentioned last time, about names?"

"Oh, right. Uuuh, Kuu-roh-ko. My bad. Forgot how Japan addresses names. So.. what's… up?" The redhead scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. He could speak Japanese, but his accent sounded off. Rusty. Which Kuroko didn't seem to mind, since he wasn't good with spoken english.

"I'm having lunch with Kise-kun." In turn Kuroko spoke slowly, with easy wording when he spoke to Kagami. He gestured to Kise. "He's my classmate."

"Sorry didn't notice you, man." Kagami switched to english, assuming he thought Kise was an American. He offered his hand to the blonde. "Taiga. Taiga Kagami."

Kise put on a friendly smile. "Kise. Kise Ryouta." He shook hands with the redhead. "I'm half Jap, by the way."

Kagami made a surprised face. "Ooh." He glanced at Kise's hair and his eyes. "I thought you were American. Sorry 'bout that."

"No big. You speak Japanese too. I thought you were American-born."

"Ha, no. I used to live in Japan until fifth grade. Dad's job brought us here." The redhead said, turning to Kuroko again. "So… Kuroko. See you at the library?"

"Of course. I have a new textbook for the next lesson." Kuroko smiled politely at the redhead. Kagami grinned happily, cheeks flushing. They chatted a minute or two longer, before he was called by his friends. When he left, Kise wondered what was with the lessons and texbooks. And why the heck was the redhead blushing? ... okay, never mind that last bit. It was a little too obvious.

"What was that about? You mentioned a lesson?"

"I teach him Japanese during breaks. In exchange, he teaches me english." Kuroko answered.

"… aah." That explained it.

Kise had nothing to do after their lunch session. He wasn't sure of the exact time the seniors would begin their game. He texted Kasamatsu about it, and decided he'd accompany Kuroko to the library while he waited for a reply. However, as he was escorting Kuroko to the library like the good friend he was, Sarah came up to him on the way there, stopping both boys on their track. She looked awfully upset.

"Ryouta! How could you leave me alone this morning!?" She nearly screamed at him, eyes brimming with tears of anger. Instead of hitting him, however, she hugged Kise instead, taking him by surprise. "Didn't you know what happened last night!? I was so scared! My brother wasn't home, I was all alone!" She pounded her fists to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. It didn't hurt, though her antics certainly made a spectacle. Pedestriams were staring at them.

"Sarah… calm down." Kise had no choice but console her. He glanced at Kuroko, who nodded and left out of consideration for the both of them. At least he understood.

The blonde sighed. His mood was ruined.

Kise cupped her cheeks, his thumbs wiped her tears. Her mascara melted, smeared at the edges of her eyes. It was a bit funny in an ironic way, because her face was melting with her tears.

"Let's go sit somewhere, okay?" He gently told her. She gripped at his shirt, nodding repeatedly.

It was clear she was scared. Most likely frightened by the prospect of a killer on the loose. The downside of the gossip, he supposed. Kise only slept with her once, and she grew some sort attachment on him. Troublesome. Yet he knew he needed her to provide for his alibi should there be a need to prove it — in case the autopsy ruled Zack's death as homicide.

Kise was forced to spend some time tending to her paranoia and worries. He accepted her complaints that he was very insensitive and cruel that he left as soon as they were done fucking — which was not true, he did stay for the night — he promised it wouldn't happen again. He repeated the promise more than a bunch of times.

When Kise had to go because he wanted to join Kasamatsu for a game of basketball, Sarah clung to him. She made him cancel his plans to stay with her.

 _Nuisance_. Kise started to get annoyed. He tolerated it, just because she still had some use.

One day, when he was in the clear, he'd get rid of her. 

—

The autopsy report would be out in a few days.

In the evening, after they had spent half a day playing basketball, Kasamatsu and his roommates returned to their apartment. All of them sweaty and exhausted. After everyone showered, Kobori ordered pizza for their dinner. Moriyama was already covered in blanket on the couch, huddling close to Yukio while Kobori made them drinks in the kitchen.

They were watching the local news, and there it was, Zack's death was covered in the evening news. He was found dead in a friend's house, the morning after a party on Friday night. He saw the police cars and reporters who interviewed some of the partygoers. They showed glimpses of Blake's pale face, Zack's sobbing mother and tight-lipped father … then cut back to the possible witnesses.

Everybody said he was dead drunk, that he spoke to a few girls and few guys, all of which were random. That he was acting out because of the alcohol. That after a while, nobody paid attention. Most of his football teammates either went home or were busy with something else. That someone helped him out when he collapsed, but they didn't know who it was. Some people blamed the alcohol. Blamed the wild partying. Blamed Blake and his family. The others entertained the idea of Zack being an addict.

Typical. In a house party as big as Blake's, strangers could go in and out freely, without permission. Among other things, it could be alcohol poisoning, if not drugs. Until the report was in, they couldn't know for sure.

"Hey… isn't that the guy who spilled your coffee on purpose?" Yoshi said as he looked at the photo of Zack. "He … died?"

"Yeah." Yukio nodded once. "They were talking about it today, in campus. Everybody did."

"Oh." He softly murmured. "That's sad. I feel sorry for his parents."

"… yeah."

Even though Zack wasn't an awfully good person, Yukio mourned for his loss.

—

Kise went out for a jog in the evening.

He was sweaty, tired and breathless from the miles he'd run — the blonde stopped by a vending machine for a bottle of water and a little bit of rest.

He'd reached an apartment complex, ten minutes of walk from the university. A lot of students shared living spaces in the building, including Kasamatsu, Kobori and Moriyama, while Kise stayed in a single bedroom at the campus dorm. As he enjoyed the fresh, cold sips of the water, he looked up at the lit windows of the apartment on the fourth floor, where the trio seniors lived.

The sky was growing dark. The lamp posts were lit up, one by one, illuminating the streets. It was going to be fall soon. In the desert, that only meant the weather was growing colder. Dryer. Lifeless.

Kise quietly stared at the windows.

"… I want to see you." He whispered softly. "I wonder if you like my gift?"

Nobody answered his question.

The blonde smiled. "If you don't like that one… I can give you more."

And so much more.

—

TBC.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ain't the best grammar, I kno ~


	3. Face of an Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Let's put this one on the spotlight for a bit.

—

**Dark Veins**

—

Chapter 3: Face of an Angel

—

It was a monster.

The first time he laid his eyes on the monster was at the age of six years old.

It had taken the form of a man. The first thing that came to his young mind, was that the man didn't look like a person, no. He looked like a ghost. Like the cloaked figure of skeletons dressed in black, carrying a scythe and the stench of death — he'd read from the description written in a storybook that he found at the library. He forgot the name of the imposing figure, but he remembered the image clearly — for it had fascinated him.

"Ryouta." The monster whispered. Its voice weak and old and creaky. Hoarse, as if it was scorched. If not for the fact that the voice came from within the storage building — dank and dark and dusty, with thick walls that carried echoes — he wouldn't have heard him. "Come here, Ryouta."

He did.

He wasn't afraid. It wasn't the kind of fearlessness an unknowing child had, it was due to a type of childish curiosity. This chance was too great for him to pass up on.

He walked up to the old man, gazing curiously at the mess of red on the white blanket. It smelled like iron, or rotten fish you'd smell from the trash can. The man was suffering from a disease back then. Something the little boy didn't quite understand. Some sort of disgusting disease that made the man's skin brittle, easy to peel away, akin to peeling a banana's skin. A truly rare genetic disease.

The man was bandaged from head to toe, like a mummy, safe for his eyes and mouth. The bandages which needed to be changed daily. Ironically enough, the friction from rubbing against the bed sheets and clothes, as well as the bandages had made the skin peel away under the layers of fabric. Thus he constantly stunk of blood and puss. Like rotten fish.

He remembered his parents had told their children to never approach the old man. His sisters were disgusted by his appearance and his smell, so they avoided the area altogether. Nobody but the nurse would touch this monster. Even then, he knew how the past nurses had quit because they were appalled, eventually the money couldn't cover the disgust they felt of having to care for this man. They changed nurses frequently, around every other month. Nobody stayed long enough.

"Heheh." The old man looked at him. His eyes were black, shiny, like an insect's. "Ryouta." He coughed the name in a low voice. "Aren't you scared of me?" He asked. The slit beneath the white bandages quirked upward. A smile. The question was the same, as ever. Every time his family visited the main house. The little boy would come to visit this miserable monster, because he was curious. He'd never seen anyone like that before.

"No." He would always reply with the same answer.

"You are a strange boy, Ryouta." The old man said.

Or maybe he wasn't so old. Maybe he was younger than he looked. Maybe the disease had eaten up the years as if wanting to finally rid him out of his misery. Maybe it had sucked him out of life itself. He didn't know. He was too young to think about it back then.

The little boy was too busy staring at the mess of red on the white blanket, to completely pay attention to the man.

"Why… do you stare at it?" The monster asked. "You always do that."

He looked up at the man, tilted his head and said innocently. "Because it's pretty."

The monster's black beady eyes widened as he looked at the boy, too young to know how to lie, and then the man laughed. He laughed until his throat constricted with pain, causing the laughter to end with a violent coughing fit. A few splatters of blood stained the blanket.

"Pretty, you say!?" He croaked loudly. His black, watery eyes looked at him. Full of hatred. Jealously. Complicated emotions the little boy couldn't recognise until years, and years later. The monster caught his small arms, pulling him in by force until they were face to face and he could smell the rot so close to his nose.

With one hand, he started pulling off the bandages on his face, revealing the raw state under the fabric; the skin that was barely holding onto the flesh, and the thin layers of flesh barely clinging to the bones. The blood had dried, the bruises were black, like he'd been burned badly. Due to the dried blood that clung to the bandages, part of his skin was ripped off along with it — and blood started dripping from the wound, smelling of fresh blood and foul illness.

"This is pretty!? Huh!? Tell me, you fucking brat!" He shook him, violently. He was angry, and now the little boy felt a little frightened.

The little boy, looked at the man who resembled death. The grim reaper from the storybook, dressed in black cloak. The god of death who robbed people off their lives. This poor man, with his feeble, thin body, weak arms and miserable existence … the boy realised this man wasn't a monster. This man was a victim. An average person who'd been living in pain since birth, his whole life. He was in so much pain and possessed so much bitterness inside him, that he lashed out to an innocent six-year old for mocking his misery.

But the boy wasn't lying.

The blood-stained bandages were red. Red, like the ruby necklace his mother wore to parties. Red, like his sister's ribbons and dresses, or daddy's silk tie. Red, like the strewn muscles and meat under this man's skin, contrasting with the white of the bones. He looked on, fascinated, despite the smell and despite the man's hostility, his small hand reached out to touch the open wound. His amber eyes glimmered, with the innocent curiosity of a child, full of wonders, as he sighed admiration for something so grotesque.

"Pretty…" His tiny fingers were smeared with the blood, which he stared at, wide-eyed, the same pure amber eyes, as if entranced.

That made the man flinch.

The eyes that burned with rage and hatred, changed with a moment's notice — replaced by confusion and shock, with a little twinge of fear — for a six year old who knew nothing but honesty, who'd looked at him with fascination instead of disgust. As if he was staring at a brand new toy, not a person or even a monster.

The little boy looked at him like he was an  _object_.

Maybe at that moment, the sickly man finally realised who was the real monster between the two of them. He, who was ugly and distorted, and the little boy, who looked angelic and innocent, as if he'd descended from the heavens itself .

"You…" The man released his grip on the boy, and withdrew, puzzled.

The little boy drew his hand back and stared curiously at the blood on his hand, unbothered by the smell. He laughed with a childish, innocent glee.

"Now I'm  _pretty_  too!"

The look on the man's face then, Kise Ryouta had never forgotten it. Even after the man's death, six years later. His corpse was shrivelled up like a mummy and he'd appeared little more than a skeleton of a man, with skin and flesh barely clinging to his bones. After so many years fighting for his miserable life, he was finally broken, for good. He was red all over, as beautiful as he'd ever been.

The little boy's very first  _toy_.

—

Kise started putting a tiny drop of poison in her drink, everyday.

A drop so small you could barely call it a droplet, really. A micro bead in size. He just needed for it to be enough that the liquid would start building up in time, then he screwed shut the lid, his hands were completely stable as he slipped the vial into the inner pocket of his jacket along with the small pipet. He stirred it with a spoon, carefully. The cafe was mostly too crowded for anyone to tell what he was doing, and he'd made sure they were sitting at a corner, a blind spot to the security camera.

Sarah wasn't looking, she was busy chatting with Kim on the phone, at the outside balcony. It was too noisy in the cafe, as usual. Kise casually wiped down the beads of cold water that were melting, on the cool glass surface with a napkin, it was clean along with his own prints — just in case.

A few minutes later, Sarah came back, unhappy with something he assumed had something to do with Kim.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that bitch!" She huffed as she sat on the couch and sipped onto her juice to cool down. Once she did, she opened her mouth again. "Can you believe it? Kim told me that fucking bitch Rachel went out with her boyfriend last night!" She threw her arms in the air.

Kise wasn't sure which Rachel this was again, but he went along with it. "Really? That's not nice." He acted shocked.

"Kim was  _devastated_! I mean, she's been with Rob for a year now! How could he do that to my homegirl!? That fucking bitch better watch out!" She continued ranting about it for the next ten minutes before Kim came by to steal her away, so they could have a proper girl talk together.

When they were out of sight, Kise sighed heavily, relieved that was over with for now.

He glanced at the empty glass of juice — at least Sarah's incessant complaining meant she'd be constantly thirsty. There would be plenty of chances for more of these, he could take his time. Everything needed discipline and patience, for his plan to work to perfection.

Besides, this was a new thing he wanted to try. He couldn't help but want to … experiment.

Kise smiled to himself. He liked this country. It was so much easier for him to obtain certain items and certain tools. Given the right price and the right level of anonymity, he could get anything. He could do so much more than he did back in Japan.

How exciting.

Kise chuckled softly. He walked along the university streets, watching people passed by, some of which were strolling along the park and some were rushing to their next lecture. A group of kids on their bikes dominated the roads, a bunch of girls giggling and chatting at the corner. The weather was chill.

He checked his watch. Kasamatsu's class would be over in two hours… the last class of the day. He could wait for him at the park overlooking the entrance of the building. He could suggest for a casual dinner, act like it was a coincidence. Yeah, that was a plan. He changed routes, heading for the other way instead.

Sarah had been insisting on spending time with him lately, that Kise couldn't afford to approach Kasamatsu during most of the day. That wasn't really convenient.

Maybe he should stop playing around and get rid of that bitch now?

No. Kise shook his head. That wouldn't be a good idea, since he was too personally involved with her now… the spotlight would've been on him at once, a new guy she was seeing just recently. It would've been suspicious. Too suspicious. The slow road was safer. Tedious, but safer.

Besides, he could slowly and surely sever ties with her over time. More than a few routes were available for him to go for. The poison plan was just one of them. He could do more… small subtle methods that could build up into a fantastic climax.

Kise almost wished this one wouldn't break too easily this time around. Or it would kill the fun.

Besides, he hadn't gotten what he came here for. He mustn't forget. All this playing around shouldn't mess with what he aimed for. Kasamatsu Yukio.

That lovely person. He wanted to see him.

Kise sat on the bench just outside of the building Kasamatsu's would be. He waited there, alone, as the weather grew colder and the sky darkened. He had a jacket on with a thick scarf tied around his neck. It was warm enough for Kise to bear, even as the tip of his nose and his cheeks were tinted with red. He didn't mind. Even if it got colder and icier, he would still wait, like he'd always have been.

Two years, and he'd wait longer. As long as it would take.

His fingers had grown numb, even after he'd stuffed them into his pockets. The seasons would changed into winter soon — even if it wouldn't snow, it'd still be dry and cold as ice. Sometimes he wondered if it could be cold enough for his blood cells to start dying and ultimately fall off? Frozen fingers, what colour would they be? Red, or blue? Black? What curious thought, Kise wondered.

He spent the remaining hours reading some textbook he borrowed from the library when he visited Kuroko — a biography book of a well-known serial murder. It was a good read. Very informative. He didn't quite get the man's penchant for murdering only a certain type of victim — young girls in their twenties — but he could understand the idea of wanting to be closer to those he considered lovely.

But those he considered lovely, they broke too quickly. Unlike this man, Kise didn't want to break Kasamatsu. Because he was the loveliest. He wanted him to last… as long as possible.

"I'll take good care of you…" He whispered softly. White steam blew as he spoke.

At seven P.M., Kasamatsu's classmates began showing up at the front door, chatting to each other. Kise looked up, his face red with the cold, and started looking around for the senior. He realised how he seemed to be waiting for him specifically, so Kise stood up, then walked over to the gates. He shouldn't frighten Kasamatsu. He must act casual.

He waited a little more, before a head of black hair with the right height came to sight. Kasamatsu was talking to a classmate of his, a thick wool scarf wrapped around his neck, covering his chin and part of his mouth. He wore jeans and a navy blue bomber jacket, with hands stuck inside the pockets. His bag was slung over the shoulder, bouncing as he walked.

Kise's chest sizzled at the sight of him — A heart that didn't exist, started beating to life, slowly, like a ticking clock. Like magic, it required no effort on his part him to  _feel_  something. How amazing was that?

Kise approached them, with a smile on his face.

"Kasamatsu-Senpai." He breathed out, white steam evaporated in the air. Some of the others stared at the blonde, mostly the girls, but he ignored him. His eyes were always on Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu turned his head when he saw the blonde nearby, his slate blue eyes widened. "Kise? Oh, sorry Matt." He turned to his companion for a bit to end the conversation. "Yeah, see you tomorrow. We'll talk. I'll send you an email about the essay."

The classmate nodded. "Got it. See you, Yukio."

They parted ways, then Kasamatsu ran up to him. "Hey, Kise. What's up? Did you need something?" He asked like the helpful senior he was.

Such a lovely person. It made it far easier for Kise to come up with a few ideas. "Oh, nothing. I was just around the neighbourhood when I saw you Senpai. Just finished the class?" He asked.

"Yeah. Evening class." Kasamatsu said, frowning as he took a look at the blonde. "How long were you outside? You look like you're freezing." He noticed the flush on Kise's face and ears, as well as the slight clatter of his teeth.

"Huh? I was just taking a stroll. It's no big deal." Kise smiled assuringly

Kasamatsu didn't buy that at all.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere warm. You'll get sick like this." He didn't ask further, he just took Kise's arm, then started dragging him towards the direction of the cafe just two blocks away.

The small bell on the door rang when they entered, immediately greeted by the warmth of heater and the smell of baked goods and hot drinks. Kasamatsu picked the table with the couch. He pulled at his scarf and looked at him.

"Coffee or hot chocolate? My treat." He said. Kise was pleased with the outcome.

"Hot chocolate, thank you." He smiled at the senior, who nodded and went away to order the drinks, leaving his scarf draped over the spine of the couch. Kise glanced at it. It was nude brown in colour. He could tell Moriyama probably picked it out for him.

Kasamatsu came back with two mugs of hot chocolate a few moments later. He set the mugs on the table, the steam rose from milky brown liquid along with a delicious smell that wafted through the air.

"It smells good." Kise said, he wrapped his fingers around the steaming mug, his skin warming up to the porcelain surface. "Thanks Senpai. I feel bad that you paid for the drink." He looked up to the senior, smiling.

Kasamatsu was sipping his hot chocolate, slowly. It was still pretty hot. "Don't mention it. You looked like you needed it." He sighed contently and set down the mug. He looked at Kise with those grey blue eyes that sent shivers down the blonde's spines.

"I appreciate it." He tried to hold back the amazing sensations. He shouldn't be too excited.

The senior nodded once. "What were you doing, still in campus? You got a late lecture too?" He asked, out of politeness, maybe.

"I was with friends." The blonde replied easily. "They had sudden urgent business so, I figured I should get dinner at the cafe anyway. When I was thinking about it, I saw you came out of the building, Senpai."

"Hmm." Kasamatsu sipped his drink. "It's pretty late, I guess." He admitted. "We can have dinner here if you'd like."

Kise's eyes shone at the suggestion. "If you don't mind, Senpai! I'll order for us, what would you like?" He couldn't quite contain his excitement. He felt like a child in a candy store.

Kasamatsu smiled a bit at the antic. He seemed to think of it as something else. "Are you that hungry? I guess the cold got to you, huh?" He chuckled softly. "I'll have some bolognese spaghetti, thanks." He took out his wallet to hand Kise a few bills.

Kise knew he shouldn't push with offering to pay for it. Kasamatsu's pride wouldn't have allowed himself to be treated by a junior… he accepted the bills. He had his own wallet in his jeans. "I'll be right back."

He ordered some sandwich for himself and the spaghetti for Kasamatsu. The cafe wasn't that crowded and he got the orders in pretty quickly, which was fine because that meant he could spend more time with Kasamatsu. Precious time that unfortunately didn't come too often these days, due to their differing schedule.

As they waited for their food, they chatted away about their lives in general. Kasamatsu was polite enough to ask generic questions to get the conversation going while Kise started off slow… he had to. He shouldn't be too forward, but not too unenthusiastic either. The right balance. He must maintain the correct balance, in order to worm his way into Kasamatsu's space.

"How are Moriyama-Senpai and Kobori-Senpai? I haven't heard from them." Kise asked, after he'd finished half of his sandwich.

"They're good. Koji's stressing himself with his grades, while Yoshi… well, he's Yoshi. I don't know if 'stress' is within his range of mental capability." Kasamatsu snorted. "Anyway, they're fine. Yoshi's been wanting to go out on weekends… unfortunately, Koji and I, we have some free time this weekend. We can no longer say no." He sighed deeply, sipping his glass of chilled water.

"Clubbing?" He guessed.

"Exactly. Neither Koji nor I like it that much. Yoshi's all about the night life. Which, for one reason or another, we always ended up complying to whatever he wishes and more often it wasn't pleasant for us." Kasamatsu rolled his eyes.

Kise laughed. "Yeah, you told me that before." He tilted his head. "Could I maybe join you guys? I can really use some help getting to know the town."

Kasamatsu blinked. "Are you sure? We're not really the best people to ask about the nightlife stuff, you know? Yoshi, you can ask him, but not me or Koji."

"Yeah, but won't it be fun with more people?" He pushed slightly.

He looked skeptical. "You can ask your own friends, you have them, right? I know… a few girls I've seen hanging around you before."

Kise clenched his jaw. Those girls… what fucking nuisance, he thought grimly. Kise kept a smile on his face. "It's okay. They're having a bit of a girly time right now. Guys like me can't get involved. I want to hangout with the guys only, from time to time."

That last bit convinced Kasamatsu. "Oh, that makes sense. I guess you'd wanna have a guys night out too, huh?" He scratched his cheek. "I'll tell the others, though I think Yoshi's gonna be happy that you're joining us."

The blonde's smile widened. "I'll look forward to it."

Just as he wanted, Kise was giddy with the prospect of spending the night with Kasamatsu — they wouldn't be alone, but that was to be expected. It was within calculation. He had to be patience. Things tend to go well when he did it with patience. It was all about discipline. Like the story of a race between a rabbit and a snail, if he rushed, he would break the pace. No. Slow and steady, slow and steady. Like a ticking clock. He would get what he wanted eventually.

Kise and Kasamatsu walked together after the dinner. There wasn't much topics of conversation yet, but they knew each other for enough period of time for them to walk home together. The apartment Kasamatsu lived in with Kobori and Moriyama was approximately ten minutes away by walking, from the East Gates of campus. While the dorm Kise was living in, was around five minutes from the gates. Same direction, although they would have to part ways where the road forked.

"It's been colder lately. Make sure you wear thicker clothing." Kasamatsu mentioned in a passing as they walked together. The weather was really getting chillier and at nine o'clock, the campus looked mostly dead, empty safe for very few pedestrians on the sidewalks.

"Yeah.. I guess so. I didn't bring much winter clothing from Japan. I thought since it's a desert area and if it's not snowing, it's not gonna be that cold." He said. "The weather's kind of strange here, huh? You freeze at night, but then it gets really hot in the morning, sometimes." He chuckled.

Kasamatsu smiled. "Yeah, pretty much different from Japan. I missed the snow."

"When was the last time you came back home?" Kise asked, observing him.

Kasamatsu was unaware of Kise's gaze, he was looking into the space, reminiscing. "I don't know. Two years? The tickets are too pricy. Me, Koji and Yoshi. We've been stuck here for more than three years."

"You three are so close." Of course he already knew their history, but Kise could pretend he didn't.

The senior laughed softly. "Yeah, we've been in the same school for the past, what, five… six years? Especially with Yoshi. We went to Middle School together, so… god, it's almost a decade. That's ages ago." He groaned. "I feel old."

Kise smiled. "You're not old, Senpai. You're still in your early twenties."

"Some people said I act older. Like a cranky old man." Kasamatsu groused. "Those assholes."

"I'm sure that just means you're wiser and more charismatic. That's a compliment." Which Kasamatsu was, always been the leader type of person. The one everyone turned to for guidance and support, like how he was in middle school and highschool. He never changed.

Kasamatsu's cheeks turned redder — and it wasn't because of the cold. He cleared his throat with a cough. "Yeah, well… that wasn't worded nicely, I guess."

"You're so humble, Senpai." Kise said. "People like you are rare."

His cheeks flushed deeper. "Oh, stop that." He playfully elbowed Kise, more like a light shove on the arm. "You're embarrassing me, idiot. Stop joking around." He pulled up his scarf to hide half of his face behind the thick woven wool. The blonde smiled at the gesture. How adorable.

"I wasn't joking, Senpai!" He looked Kasamatsu. "You're really an attractive person. Very admirable… and adorable." He was fascinated with the way he could make Kise feel… with his dark hair and steel blue eyes and his commanding, deep voice. His lips, his nose, his ears, his skin, his neck, his limbs, his whole body… it caused his chest to tremble, with deep, sonorous vibration, crawling its way into the hollowed cave where his heart was supposed to be — a strange feeling.

He wanted Kasamatsu Yukio.

Kasamatsu noticed his stare, which caused the senior to stop on his track and looked away, disturbed by the intensity of his gaze. Although he couldn't have known what it truly meant, he could only perceive it how normal people would have; some sort of romantic interest. Maybe even something else. Kise stopped along with him, his eyes were still on Kasamatsu.

"Stop staring." Kasamatsu said, averting his gaze. He was wearing a scowl. "You… I thought you have a girlfriend. Stop saying stuff that makes people misunderstand."

"A girlfriend?" Kise blinked. It was the moment he felt he'd overstepped his boundaries… that he'd been too forward. He immediately withdrew. Not good. He had to backtrack. "I don't… have a girlfriend." A good step away from Kasamatsu to show he wasn't intending harm.

"Yeah, you do. Everyone knows about it. That… latina girl, she's your girlfriend, right?" Kasamatsu's body language stiffened, no longer as welcoming. Tense. His tone of voice was laced with distrust. Kise swallowed.

"We… were drunk. And… things happened." He explained, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm not in a committed relationship with anyone."

Kasamatsu seemed skeptical. He looked contemplative, breathed in deeply, and then sighed. "Sorry, I think I misread the situation." He kneaded the bridge of his nose. "I know this might sound weird, I mean, I'm not a girl but I took your words as some kind of flirting. Sorry about that, it's just that… I, uh." He paused, unsure how to proceed. His grey blue eyes faltered, locked at the ground. "I'm … I'm gay, so… if I misunderstood something, I'm sorry."

His voice slid into a softer tone at the end, as if Kise would become disgusted by the revelation. Kasamatsu did a good job of keeping himself calm and collected, yet still tense. He looked up at Kise like he was expecting a negative response.

"Ah… well." Kise scratched his head. "I'm bisexual, so I'm not that different."

Kasamatsu blinked. "You… you're bisexual?"

"I've dated girls and guys, if you must know. Done the deed with both genders and all that." He smiled at Kasamatsu. "Really, me and Sarah, we're not dating or anything like that, at all. We're just friends." Although Sarah obviously had other things in mind.

But he could tell, then, Kasamatsu didn't believe him. He looked conflicted, like he wanted to believe in Kise, but then the reality was, the blonde hooked up with a girl — slept with someone he wasn't really dating. Kasamatsu was a morally upright person, it wasn't likely for him to accept this sort of culture. Not that easily.

Kise held his breath. His mind began turning and ticking, attempting to come up for ways to remedy the situation. The right words and the right excuses, but somehow they jumbled inside of his head, unable to form a cohesive sentence. He wasn't fast enough, because the brief pause had added weight to the tension between them. Kasamatsu was uncomfortable, visibly shifting his gazes back and forth to Kise and the roads, unsure of what to say or do.

"Really. Sure." Kasamatsu paused and drew in a deep breath or two. He was trying to keep calm. Regain his composure. "Okay, it's not my business anyway, so I shouldn't pry into your personal life. Sorry about that. Forget I said anything." He turned away, somewhat awkwardly. He was avoiding eye contact, instead he faced the opposite direction at the forked road. The way to his apartment.

"I'm going there. I'll text you later, about the… clubbing thing." The senior said, his voice was flat and his expression, stiff. Kise couldn't read him.

He was irritated. It had gone so smoothly so far … only for it to crash and burn at the tail end. The blonde held back the urge to act on his growing annoyance, swallowing it back. He smiled. He kept that smile on his face like a mask glued to his skin. A superficial second nature.

"Okay, see you soon, Senpai." His own voice sounded calm. He seemed unbothered.

"Yeah… see you." The senior glanced back once, before heading off. He didn't try to meet Kise's eyes anymore. His steps were quick, growing distant within seconds. The blonde just stood there, watching him walk way. His fists balled tightly, he could feel the nails digging into the pads of the palm of his hands, leaving crest-shaped red-stained marks.

 _Patience. Discipline. Steady pace._  Kise had to remind himself over and over again.

He would have his reward. Sooner or later.

—

Kise didn't come home that night. He was far too vexed to be able to maintain a calm persona. He had to hide, find a place where he could be alone, where nobody could see him. The mask was slipping off, rapidly. He couldn't be seen in the state of rawness. Because anger for him was like the strike of thunder, swift and scorching — uncontrollable. He couldn't control himself… from lashing out, and he wouldn't have cared to be picky of who'd be his target.

The monster stirred inside of him, growling, awakening from its slumber. Not good.

It was fortunate that it was evening. He could go to the park to hide from the hustle and bustle of nighttime city. Kise drove his car to the park, where he left his car at the parking lot. It was awfully dark and empty, silent as the grave. The perfect place to hide. He didn't need to put up smiles and pleasantries. He could be just as he truly was.

There was an old, abandoned hut in the more wooded area. The walls were made of natural stones, now covered in ivy and mould. The hay roofs had collapsed, some of them made a mess on the grassy ground, making it seemed like the structure was melting at a snail's pace. As far as he knew, nobody seemed to own the property. Kids around the area thought it was haunted, they loved to play courage tests during summer evenings while joggers usually avoided the hut. For now, there was no other visitors but Kise himself.

It wasn't a good place for a secret headquarters, but good enough to hide… for now.

There wasn't much inside of the hut. There was some old, rotted table and a chair. A spring bed without the mattress. Mold covered the walls and the ceilings. But he wasn't there for the interior. He was there for what lied under the hut.

Kise had brought a shovel and a flash light with him. With the light in hand, he went around the hut, to the back of it, where the soil was hard, with small stones scattered around the vicinity. Wild plants had grown regardless of the intrusion, forming thickets at the corners of the hut. Or so it seemed. He'd actually moved them from another location to this one, as some sort of a mark.

The mark of a treasure.

He pulled out a pair of garden gloves from his pocket, wore them, then carefully, Kise stepped onto the shovel and started digging. He set up the flash light to lit up the area.

He continued shovelling the ground, removing the stones and the plants, until the tip of the tool hit something bigger and harder. He put away the shovel, then crouched down for a more personal touch. Kise scooped out the rest of the soil with his gloved hands, continued to do so until he could see the medium-sized steel box covered in thick plastic sheets. Smiling to himself, he secured his grip on the box and pulled it out of the snug concave it had been sitting on.

Dirt clung onto its plastic cover. Kise pulled it to the side and got up. His forehead was sweaty and his armpits damp. The cold of the air immediately took care of the heat, however.

The box made several clinks when he towed it off the ground. Kise found a spot to sit on top of a sizeable rock, he blew a steam of breath as he settled the box on his lap. Every time the box moved, he could hear metal clinks, sliding across the steely surface.

He smiled.

Kise's fingers began unwrapping the plastic cover, carefully and lovingly, as if he was handling a luxury goods. 

Once the wrapping was off, he put it away, then held up the box to take a look at it closely. The smooth surface shone with the flash light. There was a security lock on the box where he had to slide in the correct six digits of numbers to unlock it.

With the pad of his thumb, Kise began to put in the numbers, one by one, until they formed a serial. A special set of numbers.

Kasamatsu's birth date and year.

The gears turned and the box clicked open. Kise turned the flash light to it, it lit up the walls of the box almost like a beacon. His smile widened.

Rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings cluttered the vacant space. It was a collection of jewellery with diverse tastes. A platinum wedding band, a spiked leather bracelet, a set of gold chains with a romantic pearly pendant, a pair of ruby earrings… some of which were older than the others, with rusts and dusts clinging onto its surface.

His treasure.

Kise ran his fingers across the surface of the jewelries, with feather-like touches. The fine dusts over the surface stuck to the pads of his fingers. They were not ready yet. He would have to polish them later on.

"I wonder if you'd like them…?" The blonde whispered softly.

He would love to give Kasamatsu all the 'gifts' this world had to offer.

—

When Thusday night arrived, Kasamatsu sent Kise a text to inform him that everyone would love his company.

In fact, Moriyama was ecstatic to chat with him again about the progress with the suit collection. He mentioned Kobori would be relieved to have more people keeping watch over Moriyama.

The difference with the schedule might have been the main cause of their distance, but Kise could tell that the awkwardness from before had kept Kasamatsu quieter than usual. He had no choice but to back off for a bit, either. Kise needed to prove that he wasn't how Kasamatsu thought he seemed to be, with his growing reputation.

Which meant, he'd been turning down Sarah's advances and offers to spend time together. He avoided her and her friends, for the rest of the week. Doing so posed him as some kind of a player, but at this point, sticking to the girls would only make things worse by the long term. He was lucky that this week Sarah was distracted by Kim's love life woes.

'Should we meet up somewhere before the outing?' Kise texted Kasamatsu back. He needed to take advantage of this chance as much as possible.

He waited, for another ten minutes, until his phone beeped with a new text message.

'You can drop by at our place. Yoshi wants you to see his sketches. Do you know the address?'

Kise's smile broadened.

'No. Not yet. I'll drop by with my car. Please tell me the address.' He replied.

'We're going with Koji's car. He doesn't drink.' Kasamatsu included the address on the bottom. 'Koji and Yoshi'll be home earlier, so you can drop by around four or five.'

That was plenty of time to get ready. 'I'll be there. See you, Senpai.'

There was a long pause for the last text. 'Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.'

Kise gazed at the phone, smiling to himself. He would make it count.

—

By Friday noon, Kise kept his schedule for the entire weekend empty. Sarah sent him a few texts that he ignored on purpose. He wasn't going to be distracted from tonight's plans. Just in case, he avoided the places he usually hung around at, where he knew the girl or her friends would be around.

He stayed in the library, watching Kuroko manned the counter. He had no classes in the afternoon, and a few hours to kill. He spent browsing the bookshelves for something more interesting. There were a few interesting books. Psychiatry and human anatomy for medical purposes.

He wasn't smart enough to reach the level of doctors, but he had a personal interest in those subjects.

Kagami dropped by later that day, just as Kuroko finished his shift. It looked like they were doing the language lessons again, seeing how prepared Kuroko was with a few notebooks and dictionaries, all laid down neatly on an empty desk at a secluded corner.

Kuroko greeted the redhead when the dude trotted to their fixed 'spot'. He was wearing the team's club jacket as usual, looking comically huge compared to the petite Kuroko. Kise watched them from the gaps of the shelves.

The redhead was blushing, conversing with Kuroko with a dumb grin on his face. He had an obvious crush, Kise wondered if Kuroko noticed it… or not. The latter acted normally. They sat next to each other — Kuroko explained a few things to open the session and looked over the notebook Kagami handed to him, probably a homework or something.

And just as Kuroko was explaining and jotting down on the notebook, Kagami was staring at Kuroko instead, with the same exact dreamy look on his face.

It was too sweet for his taste.

Kise rolled his eyes. He picked up a medical book with illustrated pictures and photos to fight off the boredom. At least he could've learned something other than Kagami's middle-schooler attempt at courting Kuroko.

He spent hours and hours until the clock struck four. Kise immediately pulled out his phone to text Moriyama whether he was home or not and if he could drop by.

Moriyama was quick to reply. 'Sure, come over! I wanna show you what I came up with for the collection! It's gonna be awesome! :D ' He even added a few emojis in his text.

'I'll be there.' Kise didn't wait. He grabbed his things and headed out, paying mind to say goodbye to Kuroko and his redheaded lover boy.

No car, so he'd walk around fifteen minutes from the library to get to Kasamatsu's apartment. No big deal. He wasn't rushing, since Kasamatsu still had classes until six. He could drop by the cafe on the way there and buy some pastries for them, he knew Moriyama liked sweets and Kobori liked the green-tea flavoured tea cakes. Kasamatsu wasn't really a fan of sweets, so maybe something savoury.

He did drop by the cafe briefly, got his gifts and then headed off for the apartment, meanwhile he texted with an enthusiastic Moriyama, who sent him a few pictures of his studio and the pattern works he did for the collection.

Moriyama buzzed him in when Kise arrived, and Kobori greeted him at the door.

"Hey Kise, come on in." Kobori sidestepped to let him enter the apartment, smiling at the blonde. He quickly noticed the clear plastic bag with the pastry box inside of it, surprised. "Oh wow, you shouldn't have, Kise." Kobori said.

Kise shook his head and gave him the bag. "It's alright Senpai, it's a gift. I'm your junior, it's good manners."

"Thanks. I'll get us some tea to go with it." He accepted the gift with a knowing nod. "Come on, I'll show you the living room. Sorry, it's a bit messy." Kobori smiled sheepishly as he ushered Kise inside the living room. Despite what he said, the place was pretty clean.

Kise sat on the couch while Kobori went to the back with the parcel. Moriyama popped in a short moment later with his arms full of sketchbooks.

"Hey, Kise! I've been waiting for you!" He bounced into the living room, wearing shirt and track pants, which he noticed, he covered in stray threads and bits of cut cloths. He even got some on his hair.

"Sorry, I was doing some work in the room. Cutting the patterns and all that." He grinned sheepishly, flopping onto the spot next to Kise.

"Hard at work?" Kise asked, smiling.

"Other than the competition thing, I still gotta do school assignments. I'm making a dress." He put the stack of sketchbooks on the coffee table.

"A dress? Sounds fun." Kise glanced at the stack.

"Ready-to-wear kind of stuff." Moriyama shrugged. "I prefer couture though. I like the craftsmanship."

"That needs a lot of time to spend on the works, doesn't it?" About several hundred of hours for one ball gown. He took the book from the top of the pile, and flipped it open. There were sketches, notes and small pieces of cloth samples attached to the pages. He could see how Moriyama's ideas formed and came to be, his notes were actually tidy.

"Oh yeah, tons of tedious needlework. I'll do it someday." Moriyama chuckled.

Kobori came back with a tray of tea and sweets. "Yoshi, clear the table, would you?"

"Right." Moriyama tidied up the table to give Kobori space for the snacks. Kobori went around the couch to set the tray on the empty spot.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" He asked as he took a seat on the opposite couch.

"Fashion and magic that neither you nor Yuki-chan understand." Moriyama pouted.

"With good reasons." Kobori sighed. "You know Yuki and I aren't into the trendy fashion thing."

"Or group dates, or skincare, or hair products." Moriyama listed off the things he loved but none of the sentiment that his friends shared.

"We have basketball in common, Yoshi. We bonded over it." Kobori tiredly said. Kise chuckled.

"Yes. Sportsmanship. Manliness. Japanese highschool club spirits. Unintentional sexual tensions among teenage boys during amazingly intense training camps." The other man shrugged. "Never mind, we have Kise now! He gets it!" His eyes sparkled as he gazed at the blonde, hungry for gentlemanly companion.

"You betcha, Senpai!" The blonde played along. They chatted, had tea and snacks. It was going awfully well with Kasamatsu's roommates. Moriyama's favour him and Kobori's warm welcome were full of promise. Now… he just needed to go slow, until Kasamatsu warmed up to him too. He would bid his time.

It was a while before Kasamatsu came back. Moriyama showed Kise his bedroom, which he'd turned into a makeshift studio — it was far messier than the living room.

There were three mannequins half-dressed in needles and patches of samples at one side of the room, cut cloths and stray threads strewn across the floors, and the walls were full of rough sketches of clothing. Moriyama's single bed stood at the corner, having covered in folds of different types of fabric. He had two long tables at the other side of the room, one he used to measure and cut patterns with. Another table was specifically set to mount a sewing machine.

A bookshelf stood near the bed, lined up with fashion-related books and magazines, a few sprawled out on top of the bed. Its pages were wrinkled, evidently flipped over plenty of times. There were barely any space to walk on, yet Moriyama just walked in without a care, stepping onto small pieces of fabrics that covered the floor.

"Sorry, it's super messy. I made sure there's no needles or scissors on the floor. Come on in." Moriyama waved him to come over.

Kise entered the room. He was a bit surprised to see Moriyama's room as dishevelled as this. He clearly took his studies personally — Kise could see the dedication and the passion with the numerous sketches and books, he could see the nights spent on working for his craft.

"This is amazing, Moriyama-Senpai." He touched the hem of the sample fabric Moriyama used on the mannequin. This fabric wasn't cheap, and the stitching's quality was good. The cut was clean, very immaculate as well as precise, despite the state of the studio itself.

"Needlework's my specialty." Moriyama grinned proudly. "Not really on the patternwork. Still gotta practice on it."

"Hmmm." Kise hummed. He inspected the wall full of sketches. He saw designs of gowns … and suits. He saw notes on cow hide and goat skin… maybe Moriyama was experimenting? He took Kise's suggestion to heart.

Moriyama came up next to him. "Leather is pretty tricky, I tried it. I have to learn a bit of leatherwork… I failed my first attempts, though. I mean, obviously. I had no idea what I was doing." He laughed sheepishly.

"So, I figured I can't do it by myself, I gotta learn it from someone who really knows about it. I asked my teacher and then went to visit this studio that specialised in leathers — a bit far from here, so I had Koji drive me there. They do works for belts and hats and boots. I pleaded them to teach me the basics. They relented after like, one hour or so. Spent the whole day trying to get a hang of it. I still go to visit them, around two times a week to teach me more about the stuff."

Kise looked at him. "That's cool, Senpai. You're really devoted to this. It's amazing." Moriyama really did his best to make his visions come true. This kind of person… he might actually be able to make it into the extremely competitive fashion industry. He went an extra mile and more.

Moriyama grinned, cheeks flushing. "Aww, stop it ~ I'm gonna blush you know ~ Oh my god, an international supermodel's complementing me. Is it hot in here, or just me?" He playfully nudged Kise, clearly embarrassed.

Kise was impressed. Kasamatsu was surrounded by good, useful people.

They talked. Chatted about the industry, the next fashion week and Kise's modelling career. Kise gave Moriyama his criticism and suggestion, which the latter eagerly jotted down on some notes that he proceeded to tape onto the wall so he wouldn't forget. Kobori dropped by an hour later to tell them that Kasamatsu's class ended earlier that day, and he'd come home soon. He was pleased.

At that point Moriyama excused himself to take a shower and change clothes because they were going to have dinner at the restaurant. Kobori ushered Kise back to the living room, where the blonde waited alone. Kobori went in again, saying he forgot where he put his car keys.

Kasamatsu showed up some time later.

Kise could hear the door clicked close and someone shuffled into the apartment. "Koji, Yoshi. I'm home — " He stopped his hand that was pulling at his scarf midway, when he saw the blonde. "Oh, Kise. You're here." He paused for a few seconds, as if unsure of what to say next.

"Good afternoon, Senpai." Kise greeted him. He figured he should act like nothing happened. "I don't have class after lunch time so I thought I'd drop by earlier."

"That so. Well, enjoy your stay." Kasamatsu cleared his throat, finally got that scarf off of him. Kise's eyes lingered on his neck.

"Thank you, Senpai." Kise smiled as Kasamatsu headed towards the back, presumably his room. The blonde wondered how Kasamatsu's room looked like. But he shouldn't pry unless invited.

Moriyama was the first to show up in the living room again. This time he cleaned up nicely, dressing up with a mint-colored shirt and jeans. He had a dark brown blazer over the shirt, a navy blue scarf around his neck and a pair of leather boots. His hair was gelled up and styled. "Ready to go?" He grinned.

Kise himself was dressed up for the occasion. Except both Kasamatsu and Kobori came out wearing plain shirt and jeans, topped with an old jacket. Kobori was wearing tennis sneakers and he had a sweater on, which made him look somewhat older and sloppy.

"Oh god, Koji.  _What the fuck are you wearing?_  Didn't I tell you to wear the coat!? Wear the friggin' coat!" Moriyama was immediately onto Kobori, who was in trouble… yet Kasamatsu was left out, presumably because his appearance was passable at most.

"Yeah, this happens all the time." Kasamatsu told Kise before he could ask. "First year we started living together, Yoshi was more tame. He'd give us tips on what to wear, that we ignored, naturally … over time, he gave up being nice and just nags until we change into something he wants to see. He gives us grades on what's passable and what's completely unacceptable by his standards."

Kise snorted a laugh. "That's hilarious."

"Not when you're the victim of his nagging." Kasamatsu smiled a bit. That was a first since the last awkward evening.

Kobori had no choice but to change his clothes, until Moriyama gave him a passing mark. It was an extra twenty minutes wasted, other wise, it turned out to be okay because their reservation was still in another hour. Kobori went out to heat up the car while they waited upstairs, in which Moriyama started 'grading' Kasamatsu's appearance after he was done with Kobori.

"Hmm. Black shirt with that jacket…. okay. The shoes are fine. Scarf, I picked it out for you this morning, right? Totally on fleek."

"… what the hell does 'on fleek' even mean." Kasamatsu sighed exasperatedly.

"Internet slang." Kise whispered to the senior. "It means really smooth or very nice. "

Kasamatsu gave both of them a withering look. "Okay. Whatever. Can we just go now? I'm starving." He changed the subject.

Moriyama had thankfully changed his mind. "Okay, come on! The night is still young ~ " He pumped his fist and laughed, very much in high spirits. Kise played along with a simile cry, yet Kasamatsu didn't seem to share the same level of enthusiasm.

When Kobori sent them a text to come downstairs, they did.

The car was a used car they shared together, big enough to accommodate four very tall college boys, although it would get cramped if there were five. Moriyama sat at the front seat while Kobori drove, and Kise and Kasamatsu sat at the backseat. At that point, the tension between them was reduced due to the presence of the other two, but it still existed. He wasn't as open as before, a little stiff when the blonde initiated the conversation.

Kise planned to use this chance to crush the tension, bit by bit. Maybe a little of alcohol would work to his advantage.

Moriyama played the radio to liven things up, a few Rap and ballad songs that Kobori didn't really like due to the racy lyrics. Moriyama's chatter drowned the music, however, everyone was more focused on what this new hot club he wanted to check out. The other two were less eager about it, more interested of the food they were going to have.

"Please tell me this time we're not going to some fancy place with shit food like last time. I wasted thirty bucks eating a bunch of over-salted sashimi there." Kasamatsu groaned with what Kise assumed a very bad experience.

"Not this time, I swear. I checked with everyone I knew who went there. They said the place looks homey, but the food's good!" Moriyama assured.

"Yeah, the last one's pretty bad. It looked fancy, but kind of pretentious-looking. And the food's… ugh." Kobori sighed deeply. "I wasted several bills worth of good, cheap meals there."

"I feel bad about it too. This one's not gonna be bad, I promise!"

Kise was listening to the conversation with interest, when he had to turn away because his phone vibrated in his pocket. He assumed it was Sarah's text asking where he was — which, turned out. He was wrong. It was from a number he didn't recognise, or he didn't save it. Kise cocked an eyebrow. It wasn't that rare that he'd get anonymous calls and texts from fans or his agency, but this was a personal phone, not his work phone. Maybe someone somehow had gotten it?

He opened the text. The seniors were still reminiscing their bad restaurant experience, while he huddled the corner to check his phone.

His eyes grew wide. His grip on the phone tightened, as he read the message.

"Kise?" Kasamatsu asked, noticing the blonde was very quiet.

When Kise turned to Kasamatsu, he had a calm smiled on his face. He put the cellphone away, back into his jeans pocket. "It's just a text from someone from the dorm. Some kind of problem with the heater." He explained.

"Oh! You live at the dorms, right? How's that working for you? You got a roommate?" Moriyama chirped, he'd turned his upper body halfway towards the back, causing Kobori to tell him to stay still because it was dangerous.

Kise kept the smile on his face. "It's pretty cramped, actually." He started telling them his experience with the dorm life, when in actuality, his mind was elsewhere. Still firmly locked onto the anonymous text.

' _I saw you talking to Zack that night at the party. I know what you did._ '

Such nuisance.

—

TBC.

—


	4. Dance with the Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Turns out I need time to re-read my own works ‘cos it’s been so long since I updated. Need to get the ‘feel’ again. ( =__= ;)

— 

**Dark Veins**

—

Chapter 4 : Dance With the Devil

—

Kise always wondered if he was in love, or if he was just addicted to the way Kasamatsu made him feel.

Like how he couldn’t take his eyes off of him whenever he was in the room, always observing; recording minute details on his expressions, the gestures his body told him. 

Like the twitch of the eyebrows that meant he was unhappy. The slight curve of the corner of his lips meant he was amused. A rare grin, he was very happy — usually he would show this expression in front of his best friends — something Kise had wanted to see up close. Or when Kasamatsu wasn’t sure of something, he would frown, eyebrows knitted together and eyes narrowed, his gaze locked towards the cause of the confusion.

For someone who didn’t possess an extensive range of facial expressions, Kasamatsu could be hard to read. It was also part of his personality to hide certain types of emotions. But Kise, who had watched him so many times for so long, he grew to understand Kasamatsu. He could read the small details. He could guess the meaning behind the slight changes in his features, or the body language… the small things.  

There was the time when Kasamatsu would look away, his gaze fell to the ground, sometimes glanced up with uncertainty. His jaws stiff. His lips pressed into thin lines. A mixture. Confusion, annoyance and awkwardness, with a side dose of averting his eyes… because only then Kise learnt that Kasamatsu couldn’t lie with a straight face. He would avoid eye contact. And he would tell the opposite of what he felt, when he felt it was justified.

That was the kind of expression… emotion that Kise had never seen in him, until that evening when they walked together. When he wasn’t sure if Kise was lying about his relationship with a girl. When he wasn’t sure if he should take Kise’s compliments as an attempt at flirting. If Kise was actually attracted to him.

It was exhilarating. The misunderstanding was unpleasant, but this… new side to Kasamatsu that he couldn’t witness from afar. This was new. Richer. More personal. He wanted it.

He wanted to see more. And more.

“We should order the wine.” Kise suggested. They were at the Italian restaurant that Moriyama had a booked a table for that evening.

The three seniors’ attention instantly switched to him, almost in sync. Perhaps that was the result of having lived together for years; even their reactions seemed to have similar rhythm, although with different results.

“Yeah, let’s drink! Start the night with a glass of classy red wine. You’re smart, Kise. You know that?” Moriyama was the first to say anything, enthusiastically. “But Koji can’t drink ‘cos he’s the driver. Sorry, Koji.”

The tallest of them sighed. “It’s okay. I know that.” He didn’t seem to be too disappointed, however. Not the sort to drink for the sake of amusement.

Kasamatsu’s eyebrows furrowed. He was thinking over it. Kise knew he wasn’t the sort to drink irresponsibly either. If anything … he would be the kind of dorm leader who banned alcohol from the dormitory. Kise smiled at the imagery.

“Senpai, the wine here isn’t that expensive… and it’s just one glass.” To start with. “In a fancy place like this, I think it’s a pretty fitting occasion to raise a glass or two, for celebration.” The restaurant itself wasn’t too flashy, it was tasteful and classy. The type higher middle class would go to, to enjoy family dinners on weekends.

“I don’t know…” Kasamatsu murmured softly. “I’m not good with booze.”

“Come on, Yuki. It’s just one glass!” Moriyama nudged him.

“You say that, but you’re going to order more drinks later at the club. And force me to drink them.” Kasamatsu scowled.

“It’s not fun drinking alone. Besides, it looks sad and unattractive ya know? Unless you’re a super hunk… not that you’re not a hunk, Yuki-chan. You’re totally a stud!” The senior quickly added, perhaps unnecessarily.

Kasamatsu shot a glare at Moriyama, still unconvinced. But it was two against one, eventually, he caved into the peer pressure. “Fine. Just one glass, right? No more than that, and don’t order the bottle.” 

Kise’s smile just became a little wider. “Of course! Let’s order some food that go great with the wine.” He suggested cheerfully.

It was easy to influence Moriyama. Due to his personality, his tastes and his love for spontaneity, he would jump at the occasional wine drinking instead of the usual beers on weekends. He was one of those guys in college that you just knew without actually knowing him personally. The popular one. The one who was nice to everyone despite his popularity, instead of becoming conceited for it.

And the only way for Kasamatsu to be more adventurous — step outside of his comfort zone — was Moriyama who’d directly influence him. Kasamatsu would have less opposition if the advise came from a close party. Kise couldn’t have achieved it so easily.

They ordered pasta and some artisan pizzas that were smaller and daintier than regular ones, but somehow more expensive. Kise ordered onion soup with seafood spaghetti. Onion soup was his personal favourite. The wine came first but nobody drank it with empty stomach. They waited until the appetisers came in, before they started sipping and savouring the red liquid.

Kise swirled the wine glass in his hand, eyes gazing at the way the wine fluidly moved against the glass surface, thick with a dense sort of smell. The deep, dark red colour was beautiful. He sipped the wine. It was flavourful, smooth. Kise recognised the brand the moment he read it on the menu.

This one had a fair amount of alcohol in one glass, however the effects were slow to surface. It promised gradual intoxication.

What a wonderful coincidence.

For now, he should take it easy. With food coming in, a good glass of wine to enjoy and familiar company, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. They were chatting, laughing, telling embarrassing stories that made someone’s face and ears went red — everything was going well for the start of the night. 

Before they knew it, Moriyama wanted a second glass and the meals was devoured one by one. The senior tried to coax Kasamatsu to drink more, although the latter flatly refused. Kise finished his plate and his glass of wine. He was observing the situation while actively maintaining the conversation. He made sure he drank enough water to dilute the alcohol in his system, after all the night was still young.

An hour passed. Everyone had their fill of dinner and drinks. Moriyama was in a very good mood. It just seemed like he never ran out of energy.

“Yeahhh! Let’s dance! Drink! Makeout with hunks!” He pumped one fist into the air just as they were leaving the restaurant.

“Isn’t it a little too early?” Kobori commented as he checked his watch. It was 9:30 P.M. 

“Who cares! More space for us to get it on the dance floor!” 

Kobori looked at Moriyama tiredly. As if Moriyama was sucking the energy and age out of the taller guy. Kise laughed. “Moriyama Senpai’s so excited. That’s the spirit! Now I feel pumped up to dance too!” He flashed a grin at the senior.

“Ooh! There’s a guy of the same mind!” Moriyama grinned back at him.

Kasamatsu sighed at their enthusiasm. He looked just as tired as Kobori was. “We have to go home after midnight, okay?” He reminded everyone. “I have to write an essay for Monday.” Kasamatsu unbuttoned the front of his shirt, seemingly feeling stuffy even though the temperature outside was chilly. 

That did not escape Kise’s notice. There would be more to come, that was for sure.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I got condoms in my wallet. No worries.” Moriyama cheekily remarked, winking.

“… I don’t even want to know why …” Kasamatsu groaned witheringly. Kobori had the exact same reaction of utter exasperation.

The night had just started.

Kobori drove them to the livelier part of L.A., where the scene was lit up with countless bulbs of light illuminating the streets. Bright spotlights made their ways up, like white hot pillars piercing into the clouds, dancing in the night sky. 

Neon-lit billboards with racy images decorated the highways, advertising a variety of clubs and where they could find them ( _“Our Girls Are Ready to Entertain You! Come Visit Us at the Ruby Club!”_ was the tagline of a strip club, completed with photos of their overly made-up, overly-photoshopped dancers in skimpy lingeries, posing tastefully for the sake of censorship). 

However, Moriyama already had a place in mind and he wasn’t deterred by the numerous ads they saw during the drive.

Kise was curious what kind of place the seniors frequented? More importantly… how did someone like Kasamatsu actually tolerate being in that kind of place? He really couldn’t picture it at all, which was why this would surely be a learning experience. He was eager. There were so many more expressions, so many more things he hadn’t seen yet.

“We’re not going to a strip club, are we?” Kasamatsu warily asked, glancing at Moriyama with much suspicion.

“Oh no, we’re just going to a normal club. Like, _Normal_ , Yuki. Gosh, I do know you guys aren’t comfortable with the gay clubs. I’m not blind.” The other senior replied with a pout.

“… honestly, I won’t be surprised if you take us there anyway.”

“Agreed.” Kobori chimed in, eyes on the road.

Idly as they chatted away, Kise opened his smartphone, his thumb gliding over the screen where the anonymous message was shown. For a moment the mask slipped. His thumb left an oily, foggy trail over the smooth surface. He brushed it down, upward, to the right and then left… he repeated the motion in contemplation.

Someone saw him. 

He wondered who, and how? 

Sure, he had modelled for a few fashion magazines overseas before, but it was unlikely anyone outside of the fashion world to actually recognise him (he didn’t have social media pages like facebook or instagram). Especially dressed in disguise. Besides… he was still a freshman. A few girls and guys might know him — he had a few fans as well. Maybe it was one of those girls? A stalker, maybe? Someone who followed him all the way to Sarah’s house on purpose, then saw him walk out of the house and into the party? Or was it someone who held a grudge? Or was it merely an coincidence?

There were so many possibilities to choose from. Which should he entertain?

However, one thing he wasn’t sure about if this… _stranger_ actually saw what he did. The message mentioned to have seen him talking with Zack the night before. But so did around other ten to fifteen people in the house. ‘ _I know what you did,_ ’ did what, exactly? There was no mention of murder. It could be something as innocent as him bringing Zack into the guest room.

Maybe the spiked drink he gave Zack…? He made sure the plastic cup was thrown among a hundred other similar cups.  

Kise had made sure there were no actual eyewitness to the deed. Circumstantial evidence wouldn’t get him to the court. Murder weapon was rid of. He had no motive. The clothes he wore were burned, especially the gloves. He watched it turn into a pile of ash, scattered over the sandy grounds. He kept the rest of the sleeping pills, but that couldn’t be directly connected to him.

If, this person knew Kise was a murderer, would they be dumb enough to alert _him_ before alerting the police? How stupid one could be?

This was an attempt for blackmail. This person, whoever it was, wanted to exploit the fear of becoming a suspect of someone’s death, probably in order to extort some kind of profit. Perhaps they’d heard he was a model. Highly likely the stranger was someone who needed a quick buck.

There was a good chance this person didn’t even know what Kise _actually_ did. Well, well, well … who would be caught first? Kise, or this Blackmailer?That was something to look forward to. But for now…

The blonde gave a side glance at Kasamatsu. His gaze lingered on the senior’s face. 

For now, he was simply too occupied to care.

—

The car pulled up at the open parking lot outside of a closed bakery. The club was a few blocks away and they had to walk to get there.

Kise decided to turn off his cell entirely when Sarah started calling. He ignored the first time, and knowing she would attempt to call for maybe four to five times more, Kise went ahead to cut it off before it begun. He didn’t need another moment of miscalculation from this. The gap created by the scene from before… he would eliminate it.

As for Sarah. Well, Kise still needed that autopsy report to rule out homicide. The lab sure took their sweet time with it. But two deaths in a short time would look far too suspicious. Perhaps he should just go ahead and dump her.

Alright, that was a plan.

“Okay, we gotta go now before it gets too crowded.” Moriyama chirped as they all got off the car. Kobori made sure the doors were locked and the windows were rolled up.

“Anyone forgot anything in the car?” The burly man asked them, before they took off.

Kasamatsu went to check his pockets. Kise could tell he was counting mentally for his personal effects. “No, don’t think so.” The senior finally said.

“All clear? Okay, let’s go! They have a drag show today I just can’t miss it.” Moriyama was all ready for it. Very much so. Kise had never seen someone so enthusiastic over a drag queen show … but then again, he had never seen one. He couldn’t exactly comment on it.

“How’s it look like? The drag show, I mean.” Kise asked Kasamatsu. He quickly took the spot on his side the first chance he got. Moriyama ended up walking ahead with Kobori just one step away.

Kasamatsu turned to him, although not completely. By that, his gaze was locked onto Kise’s chin instead of his eyes. “Oh. Right. Uh, it’s something like…. singing and dancing, I guess. Guys… who impersonate women, and perform on stage with fla — uh… very convincing getups.” He scratched his head, clearly unsure of how to explain it.

Kise laughed. “Senpai, I know what drag queens are. I’m just curious because I’ve never been to a show like that.” 

Kasamatsu’s cheeks reddened a bit. Wow, what a cutie, Kise thought. “I just don’t know how to explain it.” He huffed annoyedly. Kise knew he was mostly annoyed at himself for being bad at explaining it. “I don’t want to come off as offensive, but since I’m not really familiar with this culture, I just don’t know what to say about it. Yoshi seems to be into it. He knows a few… drag queens. He talks to them sometimes.”

Huh, Kise wasn’t surprised that he did. Moriyama was very liberal, for a Japanese. And a very social person.

“You don’t talk to them, Senpai?” Kise asked.

“No… I mean, not that I don’t want to, it’s just… no, no. Let me… rephrase it.” He cleared his throat, looking conflicted, puzzled. ”I’m not sure if I’d make a good impression, and I’m unfamiliar with the lifestyle, so… I don’t want to seem rude, so I don’t start any… conversation.” His slate blue eyes fell down for a bit, both hands stuffed into his pockets.

Kise knew how confusing it could be, the whole liberal movements of one’s sexual identity in the Western world. The East had a far, far more rigid set of traditional values. Even being gay wasn’t something that one would publicly acknowledge in Japan. But Kasamatsu was willing to learn of them, despite his apparent confusion and discomfort of the subject. 

Kise could’ve cared less whether someone was gay, bisexual, lesbian or pansexual. Transgender or not. For him, people were made of the same contents, thus they were all… the same in their very natural structures. Blood and flesh and bones wrapped together under a set of layers of skin.

He smiled at Kasamatsu, perhaps it was a genuine one. Or at least it appeared so. He scooted closer to the senior as the music grew louder, making it hard to carry conversation normally. He whispered to his ears. “You’re a kind person, Kasamatsu Senpai.”

Kasamatsu was so lovely. Especially lovelier when his cheeks grew redder. Unlike the last time, he didn’t pull away — couldn’t pull away partly because the streets were growing thicker, with the population of partygoers hungry for entertainment, roaming the streets like ants. Kise was pleased because it shortened their physical distance effortlessly. 

But in result, they’d lost sight of Kobori and Moriyama.

“Wait, where’s Yoshi and Koji?” Kasamatsu looked around. Many heads — equally as tall or taller, filled the space as far as they could see. Kise couldn’t find the others either. He swiftly brought an arm to Kasamatsu’s waist, to keep him close. He did it loosely, mindful not to seem too overeager.

“Maybe they’ve gone ahead to the club.” He suggested, as he looked to Kasamatsu. His eyes were on him.

The senior visibly tensed up when Kise placed his hand on him. Just for a second, because he assumed Kasamatsu realised it was something inevitable. Not with the kind of tight space they were jammed into. 

“Y-yeah, we should go there. They’re probably waiting.” Kasamatsu said. 

Then, reluctantly, he tugged Kise’s arm and led him through the throng. It wasn’t just Kise’s imagination that Kasamatsu seemed conscious of the blonde. His face was still red, although he didn’t know if was due to the heat radiating from roughly two hundred people cramped into one street. He’d like to think it was because of the former.

As much as he enjoyed it, Kise wasn’t about to screw this up again. So as soon as they were in the clear — the club’s entrance just a few steps away — he let his hand fell to his side again. He maintained a respectable distance.

“Whew. That was some crowd, huh?” The blonde offered, friendly, his smile communicated anything but the suggestion of wanting more physical connection. A white lie. 

They were standing at an empty spot near the garbage bin and the alley. No wonder nobody occupied it. It stank. 

Kasamatsu noticed the hand that was no longer on him. He relaxed again, although he looked conflicted, and almost puzzled somehow. Curious. 

“Yeah…” He murmured, his attention was switched to looking for his friends’ whereabouts again. “I’ll try calling Koji.”

“Okay.” 

Kise popped a few buttons off his collar, and removed his coat. The temperature just went up with the rise of the tight population around them. The heat from the lamps, spotlights and billboards helped little to cool it. The mixed scents of perfume, aftershave and alcohol lingered thickly in the air, so pungent he could almost taste it in the back of his throat.

The hotter it was, the better. They had started to sweat, Kasamatsu decided to remove his jacket because it was too stuffy. Kise took a glance at the senior, enjoying the sight of his shirt crumpled and clinging onto his form.

It didn’t take long before they were reunited with the other two. They were simply swept up by a throng of people going to the opposite direction.

“Sorry! We got a bit lost!” Moriyama apologised with a sorry grin. He was sweating a bit. Kobori smiled as well, tired. Both had removed their coats, letting them hanging on sweaty arm and broad shoulder.

“It’s okay. We lost sight of you two too.” Kasamatsu sighed softly. He didn’t seem to enjoy the lack of breathing space. “Let’s stay close from now on, or come up with a fixed rendezvous point just in case we got split up.”

“Right. So maybe we’ll meet outside of the club if we do split up. Next to that bouncer guy.” Moriyama pointed at the very large, very masculine looking African American black dude. Kise often wondered how they could get so big and tall. No wonder a lot of them became athletes, seemed like a natural choice.

“When?”

“Ummm, at midnight? A little over midnight?” Moriyama suggested.

“Sounds fair to me.” Kise said. Naturally, he planned to stick with Kasamatsu all night long.

“If anything happen, we can text each other. Put the phone on vibration, please.” Because with the loud music, they wouldn’t hear anything. Vibration worked better in this case.

“Great. Let’s go!”

There was already a line by the entrance by the time they wanted to go in, not much, just a few people. It didn’t take long before they entered the club. It was spacious inside, the room was purposely darkened; the surfaces of the walls and floors speckled in blue and red neon lights that quickly turned into green and yellow, purple and pink, then went back to the first set. They danced in circular motion, went still, then made small swirls, spiralling towards the centre into a tight ball before bursting outwards like fireworks. 

There was a bar at the either sides of the club, a stage at the back and a long, raised platform that stretched towards the center of the room like a fashion show’s stage. The dance floors were made several steps lower than the seating areas. There were stairs leading up to the balcony on the second and third floors, each of the entrance was guarded by tall, menacing bouncers. The VIP spots. 

Despite the fact that it was still quite early, the lower levels were already halfway full. People who sat to drink and chat, and those who were busting their moves on the dance floors, hips swaying and arms pumping in time with the beat. The latest dance anthem was on.

Music was blaring into their ear drums right as they walked in, the DJ was working the music from his spot at the stage. Kise stood next to Kasamatsu as he looked up, seeing the numerous spotlights and the sky dancers writhing in the air wrapped in the fancy drapes of flowing curtains attached to the ceilings, the steel railings … the looks on VIP guests’ faces as they looked down onto the dance floor. Kise could smell the alcohol and smoke lingering in the air, thick as milky sludge. Kasamatsu made a grimace, otherwise he didn’t comment.

This was Kise’s kind of scene, but obviously not Kasamatsu’s.

The blonde put a hand onto Kasamatsu’s shoulder. He held him back from following Moriyama and Kobori, as Moriyama was heading straight to the dance floor, while Kobori acted like a worried father about to haul his daughter back to the car the moment something unsavoury happened.

“We should look for somewhere to sit.” He suggested, squeezing his hold on him.

Kise gently nudged Kasamatsu off the crowd and towards the seating area. At this point, the area was slightly abandoned. It was early.

“Huh? Oh, right…” The senior didn’t think much other than the fact he was allowed more personal space and a break. He looked reluctant though, and moved a bit away from Kise once they weren’t squeezed together by the crowd. 

“The booze here is expensive.” Kasamatsu mentioned as if to warn Kise.

The blonde laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Senpai. We’ll get something cheap.”

Except with the taxes and the actual prices of the drinks, it would still be unnecessarily expensive.

Before he could say anything, Kise smoothly redirected Kasamatsu to sit on the sofa at the corner. He called in the waiter for the menu. 

Kasamatsu’s eyes widened. He quickly tried to open his mouth, before the waiter could get close. “W-Wait. I’m not drinking — ”

“You’re not. I am. And… well, it’s not fun drinking alone, so would you please drink with me? My treat.” Kise smiled at Kasamatsu. He took a glance at the menu. “Give me scotch on the rocks. And…. Long Island tea for my friend here.”

The waiter nodded, then swiftly wrote down the orders. He took the menu from Kise and went off just as Kasamatsu was about to say something. He was too late, so he shot a glare at Kise instead.

“What the hell was that all about? I didn’t ask for a drink.” His slate blue eyes glinted in the yellow neon light, made him look fiercer. Kise didn’t dislike that look.

“I’d like to drink with you and have a chat, Senpai.” Kise simply said. He sounded almost surprised, as if he didn’t expect Kasamatsu to react with rejection.. “I’m not trying to be rude… I mean, I asked you to drink with me, so I thought I should pay. I thought that was the way it should be.”

He waited, watched the expression on Kasamatsu changed from anger to mild irritation … and to that of uncertainty. 

“Oh.… if you say it like that…” He mumbled, eyebrows knitted in thought, as if he was thinking of something hard. But then something came over him. “Wait, I haven’t said anything yet. I didn’t say I’d drink with you.” 

Kise tilted his head. “Why not…?” He asked, appearing obviously disappointed.

Kasamatsu glared at him again. Except it had lost its previous lustre. “… stop looking at me like some kicked puppy.” He grumbled, gaze darted off slightly.

Kise smiled a bit brighter. 

“Is that a yes?” He asked as he moved closer. Kasamatsu put a hand on the blonde’s face and pushed him away.

“Too close.” He huffed. “God, you’re persistent. Fine. I’ll drink with you. I’m not driving tonight, but I’m not getting drunk either. Remember that. Just a few drinks. No more than that.”

“Okay, great!” Kise cheerfully exclaimed. He caught Kasamatsu’s wrist, tugged, and let the palm slid onto his cheek. He leaned against it and smiled, gazing at the senior with insistent attentiveness.

Kasamatsu’s cheeks flushed. He withdrew the hand brusquely. “Stop that.” He murmured.

“Stop what?” As soon as it was gone, Kise missed the warm touch on his face.

“Staring.” Came a very soft reply.

Kise chuckled. “But I don’t want to stop.”

Kasamatsu’s face grew redder. “You’re unbelievable…” He said stared down at his own fist on the table. “Even though you have girlfriend, you’re still doing this. That’s a shitty thing to do.” The fist tightened into a ball. That didn’t go without notice.

This time, Kise was prepared.

“I don’t have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Or any lover, really.” Kise immediately, and firmly, said. He looked at Kasamatsu, solemn.

“Yes, you do. I saw her. I… saw you two in the campus. You were close. You’re close with some other people too.” The senior refused to look at him back. He was stubborn and annoyed. Still believed Kise had lied to him. That the blonde probably had a few lovers. Even if they were the casual kind.

Who the fuck spread that gossip? Kise grudgingly thought. So far he’d only seduced Sarah — although he knew that there were low key rumours that he was also sleeping with Kim, Sarah’s best friend. Clearly, false. 

“That’s a misunderstanding. I — “

They paused when the waiter came over with the orders. He placed a tall glass of Long Island for Kasamatsu, and a short but wide hexagonal glass for Kise.

“I haven’t been seeing her lately. I haven’t been seeing anyone.” Kise insisted, as soon as the waiter left. 

He looked at Kasamatsu in the eyes, but the latter refused to do the same, preferring to gaze at the dancing crowd, where Moriyama was grinding with an unknown girl. Kobori wasn’t in sight but probably keeping a watch somewhere on the sides.

“Why are you here, really? You keep following me around. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” Kasamatsu’s hand reached for the cool glass of hard tea, sliding his fingers up and down the wet surface, beads of the water ran down, pooling onto the table. He was frowning deeply, eyebrows furrowed.

Of course he did. Kise wasn’t exactly being subtle.

“Because I want to talk to you. I don’t want you to misunderstand. Since the last time we spoke, clearly you did .” The blonde said, his own hand nursing the glass impatiently. “I want to spend time with you.”

“That’s the weird part. I can’t understand, for the life of me, why you would be interested in someone like … me.” Kasamatsu murmured, his voice was almost drowned in the music. “If this is some kind of joke or a stupid bet… stop that.”

Opting the corner table was a great idea on Kise’s side.

The blonde looked at him, making an expression as if Kasamatsu had said something utterly ridiculous. “Why wouldn’t I?” He asked back. “You are an attractive man, Senpai. A good man. You’re selling yourself short.”

“Guys like you don’t get interested in guys like me. Supermodels don’t get involved with ordinary dudes. That’s just common sense.” Kasamatsu paused to take a sip. No, a solid chug. He wiped his mouth as soon as he did. His eyes darted from the crowd, and then to Kise, and then to the crowd again. Anxious.

The blonde sighed softly. “That’s some mean stereotyping, you know. I have my own type, that I like in people — in men. Someone who’s sincere, serious… dedicated. Like you.” His eyes never left Kasamatsu’s form. Intense, without blinking. He would always watch Kasamatsu in a way that made the senior self conscious, fidgety, aware.

Because that was what Kise wanted. For Kasamatsu to be aware of him. Only him.

“I don’t get it. I don’t see why you would think … I fit those requirements. I’m not that attractive. I can’t even… get used to this kind of place. While you, you fit in right away. I can see it. Anyone can see it.” 

Kasamatsu shrugged. His face was red. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the heat of the room, or that Kise blatant admittance to being attracted to him. He kept glancing at Kise, and glancing off, as if he couldn’t make up his mind to believe or not. He looked displeased.

Kise waited, his grip was flat on the glass, his palms wet and cold.

“I don’t want to make this awkward. I don’t want you to feel that you must give an answer now. And I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He finally said after a brief pause. “If you’d like, we can start as friends. I just wanted you to know that, I’m doing this so I can show you that I’m serious.”

Only then, Kasamatsu finally looked at him, his greyish blue eyes widened.

Kise stared at him back, determined. “What do you say with that, Senpai?” 

He saw Kasamatsu’s lips moved, opened up slowly, about to say something, but decided not to. He closed them again. Kise could see the adam’s apple bobbed up and down, swallowing spit. Slate blue eyes still blown, in surprise, in confusion, in… something else. Something hopeful. But Kasamatsu then tore his gaze away again. 

“I — I don’t know. I can’t just… suddenly decide. B-besides, you’re my junior and I — we just met. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. How should I know?” He stumbled over his words, head hung. 

Perhaps out of nervousness, he drank again. Two large gulps. All that alcohol ran down his throat quickly. “This is just too sudden. Too … unbelievable.”

But Kise had waited for so long. Kasamatsu might not have known, but he did. Kise waited patiently. Painfully. That he would jump at the chance when he finally got it. Because no, he wouldn’t wait anymore. But at the same time, he must. He had to be patient.

“Age doesn’t matter, does it? I feel the attraction. I feel for you. We can learn about each other with time. I don’t think my opinions of you are too far off.” Kise said, ignoring the attempt of subtlety altogether. 

“Don’t you feel something for me?”

Kasamatsu made a choked sound. He coughed, then drank again to clear his throat. Drank too quickly. “… I don’t know. Who knows stuff like that? Stop… stop asking strange questions.” He growled, like a dog whose territory was intruded.

How cute.

Kise flashed a patient smile, his grip on the glass tightened until his palms were white. “It’s okay, Senpai. I’ll wait.” He said. “I’ll take my time to convince you — I mean, to help you know how you feel.”

“Wh-what did you say?” Kasamatsu blinked. The music was fading off in the background. “You’re mad.”

“You really don’t believe me, don’t you?" Kise laughed. He eyed the drink that Kasamatsu finished. His own was still full, Kise hadn’t touched it once. He stared at it for a moment. 

“Should we go dance?” He turned his head to the dance floor. The music was switching to a slower song. The crowd retreated to give way to couples, the slow dance session was on. 

Kasamatsu went rigid on his seat. “I can’t dance.” He stiffly said.

Kise laughed. “Nobody’s going to watch, Senpai. Let’s have some fun.”

It was a spontaneous decision. 

He didn’t calculate this outcome when he decided they should dance. Kasamatsu resisted a little, in the end he caved in just after the third or fourth ‘come on.’ Kise took his arm, led him past a few people and took him to the dance floor, where they stood face to face, far from the centre of the area because Kasamatsu insisted. He was clearly out of his element, nervous and constantly looked at the blonde for hints of what to do next.

Kise grinned. He urged Kasamatsu’s arm around his shoulders while he placed his own hands loosely on the senior’s hips, careful not to touch too low. 

“Just follow my lead.” He leaned closer and whispered. Their foreheads were bumping.

“You’re too close.” Kasamatsu huffed, he tried to push Kise like before, but with less opposition. They were on the dance floor, and the other couples already started dancing on their own. It would look weird if he objected to it now that they already went so far.

“We’re supposed to be this close for the dance.” He shortened the distance slightly, his head next to Kasamatsu’s, he started guiding the senior to sway with the music. Kasamatsu was stiff, tense. 

“Relax, Senpai. There’s no elaborate moves for this one.” His breath brushed against the ear.

Kasamatsu shuddered.

“… I’m not used to this.” He admitted, a little grudgingly. “I’m going to make a fool out of myself.”

“It’s okay.” Kise’s lips touched the senior’s neck. Just lightly. He inhaled deeply, savouring the scent. “We should just enjoy it. There’s no right or wrong.”

Kasamatsu was a bit trapped there. He squeezed Kise’s shoulder a bit harder that he should, earning the blonde’s pained groan. “You… are cunning.” He said, grumbling. “I didn’t expect this from you… you really do sound like a playboy.” 

He withdrew a bit, so that Kise could see Kasamatsu’s face. “I do have ulterior motives. I told you that, five minutes ago.” 

He liked looking at the expressions changed. He liked that despite Kasamatsu’s effort to look angry and menacing, his cheeks were red and he seemed flattered by the blonde’s words. Finally, more convinced.

Kise grinned in satisfaction. 

“You’re adorable.” The blonde whispered as they swayed on the dance floor, practically ignoring everything and everyone else around them. Occasionally, his hand would inch down Kasamatsu’s waist, or their hips would bump, brushing against each other innocently.

“You must be blind.” Kasamatsu retorted, the shoulder squeeze was a bit friendlier than before. “Or stupid. Or weird.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not any of those things.” Kise laughed. 

At times he would shift their position so he could be more personal, he’d inhale Kasamatsu’s scent, touch his skin ever so lightly… be closer, and closer. He was patient enough not to overstep his boundaries. This wasn’t the time to push his luck. This was the moment where he would draw Kasamatsu’s attention to him. To make him aware that Kise made him feel special.

Because indeed, Kasamatsu was special. Very much so.

The alcohol, the music and Kise’s careful, gentle approach, made Kasamatsu’s guard slip little by little.  He started leaning more to Kise’s touches; he’d rest his head on the blonde’s shoulder as they moved together, slow as snails — he’d let Kise be so close that both of them could feel the heat through each other’s clothes. The heat washed over him with a tingling sensation, it made Kise a little dizzy.

Kise knew people was beginning to stare. Even in normal circumstances, people would stare at Kise, openly or discreetly. No matter if they knew him or not. He ignored them, and chose to focus on Kasamatsu. 

As they danced, his hands ran up and down the senior’s back soothingly, tracing the curve of his toned body, seemingly without any particular meanings behind it. His effort made Kasamatsu sigh in his arms, body relaxing. His guard was down.

Kasamatsu liked it gentle. He liked the attentiveness, the dedication Kise made for his comfort. He’d fought hard for his passion, for his studies and Kise would be the one to harbour his fatigue and his anger, stroke his ego, make him smile, make him feel loved — Kise would make Kasamatsu feel like he was the entire world.

Make him fall in love.

He pressed his lips against Kasamatsu’s ear, breathing against it. He could feel Kasamatsu shiver, his body tensed for a moment, just a moment, before he relaxed again. His skin grew warmer. A subtle sign Kise was looking for. Then he continued to drag his lips down his neck, along his jaw, moved upwards and stopped to kiss his cheek.

“You’re adorable.” He’d told him again, giving him a light squeeze on the hips.

Kasamatsu’s skin warmed up again, stained with flush. “Stop saying that…” A weak murmur came, shy and reserved. Yet stubborn. 

In turn, Kise shivered. He could feel his heart beating, blood rushing into his brains, and downwards. Adrenaline started pumping into his body, crawling all over, filling him with the wonderful sensation of being _alive_. 

 _Take him_ , the voice in his head said. _Take him and make him ours._

Kise shrugged it off, told it to shut up. Let him enjoy the sensations. Let him go slow because he didn’t want this one to _break_ , knowing how easy, easy, easy it was to do something horrible and destroy. And how difficult it was to preserve, to protect and to love. 

He’d prefer the latter. Like the ancient method to preserve a corpse to last a thousand years, like the mummies of Egypt. The kings and queens of the old world, their corpses remained intact even after so many centuries passed. 

Kasamatsu would _never_ be broken. He would make sure of that. Yes, he would.

The moment only lasted so long. Eventually, the music came to an end. The announcer stepped into the stage to give an enthusiastic introduction. The drag show would start in ten minutes. He asked everyone in attendance to get ready for it.

With the dance ended, Kasamatsu detached himself from Kise quickly. The look on his face was akin to a deer in headlights’, as if he hadn’t meant for it to be so personal and he didn’t mean to get too swept up in the moment. That he only did so because he was coaxed. His mouth was closing and opening to give an explanation he hadn’t yet managed to form in his head. He looked regretful.

The place where Kasamatsu rested his head on Kise, he felt it was sizzling. His palms were sweaty from the constant touches, from the heat that seeped through their clothes.

Funny was that Kise knew everything even without Kasamatsu saying a word of it. How ironic.

“Let’s go back to our table?” Kise offered with a smile. An eternally patient smile. 

Kasamatsu snapped out of his trance. “Huh? S-sure.” He cleared his throat, and nodded. His gaze was suddenly absent, maybe to calm himself down, maybe to escape the implication he’d created himself. Noticeably, he didn’t try to look at Kise.

Kise didn’t ask as they returned to the table in silence. Awkward silence.

It didn’t last because apparently Kobori and Moriyama were waiting at their table.

The moment they were in sight, Moriyama poked his head up, blinking and drawing out his word. “Duuuuudddddeeeeee…… we saw it.” Moriyama drawled, a grin started spreading across his lips, flashing a set of pearly white teeth and spouting obnoxious chants of _wesawitwesawitwesawit_. 

Kasamatsu actually facepalmed.

Kobori instead, looked unsure. He was crossing his arms, staring at Kasamatsu, who looked mildly ashamed of something, or angry, at the floor.

“Saw what?” Kise smiled in return. He casually led Kasamatsu to sit first, which prompted Moriyama to start swaying back and forth like an overeager kid.

“We saw you two dance. It was hot. Steamy.” Moriyama didn’t waste any breath. “God, I should be pissed nobody told me what’s going on! Come on, spill the beans, since when??” He swayed faster. It was strangely hypnotising.

Kasamatsu’s face exploded in red unexpectedly. “That’s… that’s not what happened! He… I… he just forced me to dance even though I told him I can’t, and — ”

“And you enjoyed it.” Moriyama pointed out, still grinning. Kobori narrowed his eyes, accusingly. 

“ — I did not!” Kasamatsu denied, perhaps a bit too strongly. His ears were red.

“You didn’t enjoy it?” Kise acted shocked and hurt, as he looked at Kasamatsu with a sad look on his face. It made the latter gape and stammer worse.

“N-no. I… no, I did, but… there’s nothing between us! We’re just friends. There’s nothing! Don’t read in between the lines!” Kasamatsu fiercely said. No matter what he said though, Moriyama and Kobori remained unconvinced. 

“Humm ~ What do you think, Koji?” Moriyama looked over at the taller man.

“Suspicious.” Kobori commented.

“I know right?? So Kise, was there anything going on there?” He turned to Kise and ignored Kasamatsu’s protests completely. 

“Definitely, Senpai. There’s a lot going on, even if Kasamatsu Senpai refuses to admit it.” The blonde gave out a mournful sigh. He smirked. Then Kasamatsu wiped off the smirk of his face with a slap upside the head.

“Stop spreading gossips!” Kasamatsu barked.

Kise rubbed the slapped spot, grumbling. “It wasn’t a lie… everything I told you is true.” He pouted.

Moriyama laughed out loud. Kobori cracked a smile there, he shook his head. 

“Yuki, we’re not going to intrude your love life business. We were just surprised because we didn’t know what was going on, and then suddenly you two danced … like that.” Kobori calmly explained, clearing his throat slightly. “Whatever happened, we won’t pry until you decide to tell us.”

“Right.” Moriyama chided in. “I’ll pretend I saw nothing until you guys figure that shit out.” He gave them a thumbs up.

“Thanks, Senpai!” Kise grinned widely. He pretty much got the permission to continue his efforts on Kasamatsu. 

“… why the hell are you guys so calm about this?” Kasamatsu asked, incredulous.

“It’s about time Yuki gets someone. Right, Koji?” Moriyama waved the waiter to come over with the menu. Kise noticed how drenched his shirt was, from dancing.

“True, that.” Koji offered them a smile. “It’s been a year since the last guy.”

“Yeah, the asshole.” Moriyama ordered Cosmopolitan, while Kobori was having non-alcoholic lime soda. 

Kise took a sip of his now watered down drink. “I sense a history.” He commented.

“There’s nothing much to tell.” Kasamatsu quickly said, frowning. He didn’t want to tell about it, Kise noticed. Thus, the other two seniors didn’t push the subject. Instead, they changed it to something else.

Moriyama started with a bright smile that seemed a bit off. “Okay, so Kise. We heard some rumours about you lately. Like, they said you’re quite the Casanova, eh? Is that true, or what? Tell us.”

The blonde looked at the seniors, now attentively listening. He took a deep breath. Of course it wouldn’t be so easy to court Kasamatsu when he was constantly surrounded by these two … they acted friendly, but Kise could sense that if he said the wrong things, they would make it harder for him to hang out with Kasamatsu.

With a smile, Kise explained himself. He was all careful words, part honesty and part white lies, mixed up. He slept with a girl, but she wasn’t his girlfriend and he definitely did not sleep with her friend, or anyone mentioned in the gossips. He barely knew the people he was accused of having relations with.

“So 80% of it is fake. Huh, I’m not surprised.” Moriyama said as he sipped his Cosmopolitan. A girly drink for most men, but it didn’t seem to bother him much.

“I wasn’t dating the girl. We hung out. We had a casual thing going on, but recently I haven’t been seeing her. She’s a little … um, demanding.” Kise said.

“Oh, you don’t have to explain. We know that girl, Sarah. She’s pretty but I won’t try to date her either. I heard what happened with her last boyfriend.” Moriyama glanced at Kobori to continue. 

The latter cleared his throat. “I know the guy. Mike. He’s from the soccer club. She thought he cheated on her with this… cheerleader girl. She made a scene with the girl in the campus, accusing her of stealing her boyfriend. They argued and she got a bit … violent. It got so bad the campus cops had to intervene. She got suspended for the assault. They broke up, after that.”

Moriyama made an ‘I told you so’ gesture. “She’s a bit unstable, was what I’d say.”

… which meant, Kise had to prepare for some kind of public blowout in the future. Great.

Kasamatsu looked at the blonde. “You got bad taste.” 

“Poor choice of alcohol, mostly.” Kise replied, he looked back at the senior. “But I don’t agree that I have bad taste in people.” His staring was making Kasamatsu self-conscious again, and the latter averted his gaze, suddenly coughing.

Moriyama and Kobori watched the silent exchange. The former smirked, while the latter, cleared his throat and changed the subject again. 

“So… Kise, how have you been enjoying the campus?”

Kise turned his attention to the other two again. “Oh, it’s great. The people are great and the lectures are amazing. Really informative.” He went on with the stories about his class, or the dorms, or what he usually did in spare time; go to the gym, or go play basketball. The last one prompted the seniors to invite him to play with them on weekends.

But of course Kise said yes. It only meant he would have more excuses to spend time with Kasamatsu.

The rest of the night was spent with the four of them hanging out, drinking and chatting. Moriyama would return back to dance after he had a few drinks, while Kobori chilled at the sofa. Occasionally, Kise would ask if Kasamatsu wanted to dance again. The senior always refused at first. Although he said yes again for the slow dancing, as he deemed it less intimidating.

Kise didn’t complain at all. The dance was less awkward. Kasamatsu was more relaxed, a bit more willing to open up although he was still snappy, especially if Kise said something that embarrassed him. It seemed like the blonde managed to make him step away from his comfort zone a little bit.

Moriyama danced with strangers. At some point during midnight, when they supposed to meet up to go home, they found Moriyama was snogging a stranger, a bit too drunk for his own good. He was quickly pried off the stranger’s arms and dragged out of the club by Kobori and Kasamatsu.

“He really did makeout with a stranger.” Kobori lamented mournfully. 

Moriyama was giggling uncontrollably as they hauled him up by the shoulders. “He’s a hunk.” He drunkenly slurred. “Got nice ass and nice pecs… wow, they are super firm man-boobies.”

“Yeah. That’s ended now. We gotta go home.” Kasamatsu grumped on Moriyama’s right. He was holding him up as well.

“But… but he’s got a nice ass.” Moriyama pouted.

“Tonight you’re humping the pillows.” Kasamatsu said. “Be content with it.”

Moriyama burst out in crocodile tears. “Noooooooooo…. that’s sad! Let me have my hunk!” He tried to struggle, to no avail. 

Kise helped them out by fetching the car from the parking spot to where they were waiting, at the corner of the streets. He was still very much sober. He got off the car and helped Moriyama into the seat first, and then gave Kobori his keys. Kobori muttered a thanks to him.

After they buckled up, ready to go, Moriyama was already snoring in the seat. Kasamatsu sighed. He reached over to properly align Moriyama so he wouldn’t accidentally hit his head to the windows.

“Jeez, he’s such a pain in the ass when he’s drunk.” He murmured. Kise looked over his shoulders. He sat at the front now.

“Is he always like this?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah. Eight out of ten times.” Kasamatsu blandly said. “He gets too carried away. Plus, strangers tend to buy him drinks without us realising it.”

Kobori drove them off into the night streets. “We don’t trust him going to clubs on his own.”

“No, we don’t. We won’t be surprised if he comes back home naked and robbed off of his stuff one day, if we aren’t careful enough.” Kasamatsu kept a close watch on Moriyama, who was dead asleep. 

What a peculiar camaraderie they had, Kise thought to himself. This… was something even with all of his effort, he wouldn’t be able to penetrate, this sort of relationship. He was perfectly aware of that fact.

They drove back to the campus first, to drop Kise off the university gates, as he was staying in the dorms.

“We’re going to play basketball tomorrow before lunch.” Kobori informed him with a smile.

“I’ll be there.” The blonde promised, as he looked at Kasamatsu at the backseat. He smiled. “If Senpai doesn’t mind.”

Kasamatsu scowled, for some reasons. He looked away, his cheeks a bit flushed. “… I don’t mind…” He murmured softly. 

Kise laughed. “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He stayed by the gates as the car drove off, waving his hand. Kise kept the smile on his face until the car vanished into the darkness, turned to some corner. Only when he was alone, he dropped the smile altogether. His expression returned to a blank slate. 

He drew a breath, inhaling the cold air deeply. 

“That went on pretty well.” He murmured as he turned on his heels, his cellphone in hand. He bonded with Kasamatsu’s friends, managed to dispel the misunderstanding, and he got close to Kasamatsu. The blonde cracked a smile at the memory of it.

It was better than he’d expected. 

The roads were empty. It was around 01:13 A.M. Kise glanced to his cellphone clock, his fingers were tapping the screen. He had a photo of him and Kasamatsu set for the background of his phone  — although he did crop Moriyama and Kobori from the photo. Kasamatsu didn’t smile, while Kise had a grin on his face and a hand placed over his senior’s shoulder.

There would be more photos like this in the future. Surely, they would take over the gallery of his phone. He and Kasamatsu, together. An ideal future.

The weather chilled considerably, making it hard for Kise to type on his phone. The wind blew and the leaves rustled, the sounds they were making sounded eerie. Kise was typing a text message, a fairly important one, now that his attention was redirected. He had other things to worry about.

_‘Meet me at the park, tomorrow midnight. We’ll discuss about what ‘you saw’.’_

_— KR_

He pressed sent. And then pocketed the phone into his coat. Kise stared into the seemingly endless streets. The trees were painted black in the darkness, the leaves swaying and the silence was comforting. His heart beat faster. The adrenaline rush hadn’t ceased yet.

An unfinished business should sooner be resolved.

—

TBC.

—

 


End file.
